antiTHESIS
by awintea
Summary: AU // Echizen Ryoma, having lost his job and home, wanders the streets. He meets Tezuka Kunimitsu, who takes him under his wing. What Ryoma doesn't know is that Tezuka is involved with something darker than he can ever imagine // on hiatus/comatose
1. Chapter 1

**antiTHESIS **

A new story! Since the old chapter up and killed its dashes, here is the ... new and better version, I suppose.

**x coincident and luck intertwined**

'_What now, old man?' A young boy glared at his father. 'I want to go buy the new book, and if I wait any longer, it might be sold out.'_

_His father smirked. 'Book. What are you, some studying freak? Just listen to me for a second, would you?'_

_The boy rolled his eyes, but obliged._

_His father pulled his hand out from behind his back, inside it a CD case. 'Keep this safe for me,' he said seriously, his previously playful expression gone. _

_The boy cocked his head. 'What is it?' he asked curiously, taking it._

_The man replied, 'Just keep it with you for today, okay?'_

_'Why?' the boy asked, still interested. _

_The man responded with a cryptic 'Keep the most important things close to your heart' before leaving the boy in front of the bookstore._

xxx

Echizen Ryoma cursed inwardly. He _knew_ he shouldn't have taken the higher-paying job, he _knew_ it had been too good to be true, he _knew _it, he _knew _it, but he had taken it anyway. He should have known that a simple employee would never have been paid that much if there weren't going to be some extra benefits for the employer.

And now he was wandering the streets with his shoulder-length olive-green hair falling on the maid costume that his employer had forced him to wear, with no job to speak of, as he had forcibly objected to his being forced to serve his employer tea. He had to have some dignity, despite his wearing disgusting frilly costumes.

And after firing him, his employer still had the nerve to withhold his clothes. So he was stuck in the maid costume until he got to his home, which wasn't even his home any more, as it was company housing!

If he could have killed his employer, he definitely would have.

Ryoma didn't want to go back to his home. Returning would mean that he would have to take all his stuff out, and where would he go with it anyway? He looked up to the skies, which were dark and stormy. Even the weather seemed to be laughing at him.

Where would he go now though? He _had_ nowhere to go.

He couldn't go to Nanako, his cousin; he'd be such a burden to her, with her high-classed, important job and her impeccable life. His appearance would ruin it. He wasn't sure that he would be welcomed on her doorstep, after what he had done anyway.

He had no friends to meet up with either; he had avoided contact all throughout his educational life, choosing to not join any clubs and simply stay in the library during lunches. Books were much better company anyway. They didn't giggle at you when you walked by, and didn't chatter away annoyingly either.

He had no immediate family to return to, his grandparents and parents having all died, with no siblings to stay with. He had no aunts or uncles that he could remember the address of, not that he would want to stay with one of them anyway.

And it started to rain. It was quite akin to the phrase 'raining on his parade', except Ryoma was sure that what he was experiencing wasn't anything like a parade at all.

He really had to get out of the maid costume though. If he had to hear his high heels clacking against the hard pavement for much longer, Ryoma knew he would go insane.

Thinking about his actions after he had already acted on them (which wasn't the best time to be thinking them over), perhaps he should have just poured the tea. He could have gone on with his life, with his large salary still with him. And he would at least have housing, which would have definitely been good.

But the past was the past, and there was no way for Ryoma to get his job back now, unless he begged and grovelled for it and prayed to the deities of high salaries. Which was something Ryoma would never do.

He would need to find a place to stay for the night. Something cheap, so his money could last longer. And then he could go around looking for a cheap apartment, or some place he could rent.

And then he would have to get some job that would definitely not pay as well as the one he had had.

Unemployment was _really_ lame.

Ryoma meandered on the sidewalk. He wasn't exactly sure of where he was, having never been in this part of the city before. He then spotted a man confronting a young woman a little distance from him. He paused. The man started speaking.

'You're late, Ryuzaki,' the man said coldly. He had short brown hair with a pair of glasses. He was probably older than Ryoma by ten years, from the way he was dressed and his expression. 'That's the third time this week.' Ryoma could hear the man clearly, as the street was deserted save for the three of them.

'I'm sorry, Tezuka-sama' a girl with brown braids squeaked, her face pink. The braids were quite long, and Ryoma frowned at them. Long hair wasn't exactly what Ryoma would call sensible. 'It's just that I didn't realise that it would take so long to type up the documents, and then your chauffeur had called in sick so I had to take a taxi here myself, and the traffic was bad...'

'Your tardiness is still inexcusable,' the brunet replied quite harshly, and Ryoma thought to himself that just maybe the man could have been a bit kinder with his words. 'I had hired you because your mother recommended you, but you are not living up to standards, Ryuzaki-san.'

The girl was in near tears. 'I'm sorry, Tezuka-sama!'

'You apologised the other two times,' the man named Tezuka responded, his face expressionless. 'Apologies do nothing if one does not try to avoid falling into a situation where they will be needed.'

The girl was actually crying now, and ran off, leaving Tezuka on the sidewalk by himself.

'... That's the fifth secretary I've lost this year,' Tezuka said to himself.

Ryoma started walking again, in the direction of the man named Tezuka.

The man's phone rang. The tune was vaguely familiar to Ryoma, but he couldn't figure out why. When had he heard it? On some television show he had watched in his childhood?

The man answered him. Ryoma kept walking in his general direction, not really caring about what the man was doing.

'Yes, Tezuka Kunimitsu speaking,' Ryoma heard the man say.

'Hyoutei Corporation wants to make a deal?' the man said.

Ryoma stopped in his tracks. Hyoutei? The man had to have some very nice connections, if the Hyoutei Corporation wanted to make a deal with them... Hyoutei was a renowned business corporation, with links to almost everything that was even slightly related to money. From healthcare to tourism, Hyoutei was in it all.

'Right now, Oishi?' the man asked, sounding slightly alarmed. 'Rikkai? Where?'

Ryoma started walking again. What the man was talking about really didn't concern him.

Suddenly, he felt something pierce his shoulder. He glanced at it. A dart was stuck in it.

Then, it all went black.

xxx

When Ryoma came to, he was lying on a white chaise longue. It was very simple design, as was everything else in the room Ryoma was in. The whole room seemed very modern, with its angled things and plain designs. He sat up, and found that his shoulder wasn't hurting. He couldn't even tell that a dart had been stuck in it earlier.

'It was one of the newest tranquilliser darts. It leaves no trace of it ever being used.'

Ryoma looked around and found a bespectacled man with spiky black hair standing in the doorway. 'Who are you?' Ryoma demanded immediately. 'What am I doing here?'

'You were shot with a tranquilliser dart as you were in the line of fire.' the man explained. 'I am Inui Sadaharu, and I am glad to make your acquaintance.'

Ryoma's eyes narrowed. 'In the line of fire of who?'

'Oh, of our dear Tezuka,' a voice said cheerfully from behind Ryoma. Ryoma jumped off the chaise longue, startled. He wheeled around to see a brunet smiling at him widely.

'Who-'

'Fuji Syusuke at your service,' the man replied in response to Ryoma. 'And who might you be?' The man smiled in a way that seemed harmless, but somehow, Ryoma wasn't so sure, despite the man's feminine exterior that seemed so innocuous.

'... Why do you want to know?' Ryoma asked rudely.

The person named Fuji laughed. 'It's okay if you don't want to tell, Ryoko-chan.'

Ryoma's eyes widened. 'What-'

The man named Inui then said, 'Your ... uniform.'

Ryoma looked down at his maid costume, and there was indeed a nametag on it that had the words 'Ryoko-chan' embossed on it clearly.

'You could tell us your family name so we don't have to speak to you using your given name,' Inui suggested. 'There is a 94 percent chance that you would find it less unnerving.'

Ryoma simply gave Inui a strange look, and said nothing. Why should he give his name to these people that he didn't even know?

'I think I'll call you Ryoko-chan anyway,' Fuji said in his light-hearted tone. 'It's cuter for a girl like you.'

Ryoma stared. What had the man just said? 'I'm not-' he started, but then he was interrupted.

'You're awake?'

Ryoma spun around yet again to face the doorway. There were three people there now, with Inui off to the side, a man with the strangest haircut Ryoma had ever seen on the other side, and the man named Tezuka that Ryoma had seen earlier.

Tezuka continued, 'I am sorry to have inconvenienced you. That dart was meant for me.'

Ryoma ran the possibilities through his head. This man named Tezuka was supposed to be hit by this tranquilliser dart. He also had connections somehow to Hyoutei. Who was this man?

Ryoma asked, a small smirk playing on his face, 'Can I leave now?'

Inui turned to Tezuka. 'There is an 84 percent chance that she will find out a bit about what is going on, Tezuka. You say she heard your phone conversation, right?'

Tezuka nodded. Inui then continued, 'It would be unwise to let her go now, Tezuka. The wrong people might overhear her if she accidentally lets anything slip.'

'If you think I'm staying here,' Ryoma retorted, 'you're mistaken.'

The man with the strange hairstyle said worriedly, 'Tezuka, she doesn't want to stay though... What should we do? We can't force her to stay, because that would be illegal, and that would be exactly what we're trying to fight against!'

Tezuka raised a hand to silence the man. The man silenced immediately. 'I can offer you a job,' Tezuka said to Ryoma impassively. 'And lodging as well.'

Ryoma shrugged. 'What good would that do me if you don't plan to let me leave the place? I think I'll decline.'

'Ah, but Ryoko-_chan_,' Fuji said slyly, 'we can offer you three times whatever your past salary was. And it's not as if you have anywhere to go, right?'

Ryoma was startled. 'What-'

Fuji smiled. 'Do you, Ryoko-chan?'

Inui appended, 'We will provide adequate provisions for you as well, whatever is needed.'

'Why are you all this desperate to make me stay quiet?' Ryoma asked, uncaring. 'What's so important?'

'We can't tell you unless you agree for employment,' Tezuka said sternly.

'Tezuka,' Oishi said anxiously, 'shouldn't you at least give the girl an interview first? We don't have any space for her either...'

'I lost my secretary,' Tezuka informed him.

Oishi frowned. 'Again, Tezuka? You should be a bit more-'

'Now is not the time for this, Oishi,' Fuji interrupted. It was all very confusing for Ryoma, seeing the conversation fly from one topic to another. 'Will you accept then? If you don't accept, we will have to take measures to make sure nothing of us is said.'

Ryoma's mind supplied plenty of possibilities for the 'measures' that Fuji, who was smiling angelically, might put into action.

'I accept,' Ryoma said slowly, hoping dearly that he wasn't going to regret his decision.

Tezuka walked up to him, and bowed. Straightening himself, he said, 'I am Tezuka Kunimitsu, president of the Seishun Agency. Welcome aboard.'

**x tsuzuku**

I think a review would be just lovely, don't you? Give comments, flames, feedback, whatever. Any sort of feedback will be appreciated. -awinchan


	2. Chapter 2

**antiTHESIS**

A chapter dedicated to squishy the jellyfish, who guilt-tripped me into writing this. xD I will have to fix up a regular writing schedule, but I do think I will be mostly updating this ficcy on weekends. To all the people who reviewed, thank you very much! You make this all worthwhile. n.n (If you would all review again, I will love you all even more. XD) And also, thanks to Rain-chan who beta'd this and told me that yes, my chapter one did have to be longer than my prologue.

I don't own PoT, and never will. My name is not Konomi Takeshi.

**x the simple ramblings of those in the know**

_Ryoma, returning home from school, hadn't even noticed anything out of the ordinary until he reached his house's doorstep, as he had had his head immersed completely in a book. Nothing could distract Echizen Ryoma from a good novel save for a few things that could be counted on one hand._

_And having the novel ripped out of his hands forcibly was one of them._

_'Wha-' Ryoma started, finding his book in the slender fingers of a grey-haired man dressed immaculately in a black business suit. Ryoma also noticed the door wide open behind the tall man._

_Towering over him, the man seemed quite intimidating, though the effect was immediately nulled by a kind smile that appeared on the man's face. Anyone who had such a smile couldn't have meant any harm, the eight-year-old Ryoma reasoned, though it didn't stop him from feeling irritated about his novel being torn away from him._

_'Who are you?' Ryoma asked suspiciously._

_The man shook his head. 'Just one of your father's friends. Don't mention me to anybody, okay? I was just preparing a surprise for your father.'_

_Ryoma nodded, and stuck out his hand. The man stood, puzzled for a moment, and then handed the book back to the young boy. The man then walked past Ryoma and left._

_The juvenile bibliophile flipped his novel back to the page it had been on, and started reading once more, walking into his house without looking up once. _

_He had never expected to see the man with his long fingers again, but the same fingers would come to rip a book out of his hands again, in rather inauspicious circumstances._

_An occasion that certainly deserved the label 'surprising'._

xxx

'There are many rules here that you would do well not to break.'

Ryoma nodded, trying to look as if he was listening actively to the man with the funny hairstyle and not looking about the room for any sign of an escape route. There was no way that he was going to stay in this building with these people who seemed to be part of some underground secret agency if he could avoid it, despite what he had said to the bespectacled brunet earlier.

From his vantage point on the chaise longue, he could only spot one door. There was a large window on one wall that gave a panoramic view of a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Ryoma had to be on a pretty high floor. There would be no way for him to escape through the window, meaning he would have to get through the door to run away.

Funny Hairstyle-san continued to talk on and on about things such as how one should always be attentive when filing papers or one might file the papers into the wrong folder and only Kami-sama knows what would happen then and why one should always be very, _very_ careful when handling glass because it could easily cut one's fingers. He did not seem like he would stop any time soon.

Maybe, once Funny Hairstyle-san left, Ryoma would be able to make a break for it... Ryoma's eyes darted towards the door, which was slightly ajar.

'Oh, Oishi-mama, don't _bore_ her,' a chiding voice interrupted from behind, startling Ryoma. He had thought that he and Funny Hairstyle-san, or rather, 'Oishi-mama' were alone in the room. What was it with these people surprising him from behind?

Ryoma turned around to see Fuji, from earlier, an innocent smile on his face. 'Ryoko-chan might fall asleep! And anyway, Tezuka requests your presence in his office. I'll take care of Ryoko-chan for now.'

Oishi nodded, and left, albeit with a worried look about him.

As soon as Oishi had closed the door behind him, Fuji said quietly, 'Don't even try it.'

'What?' Ryoma said defensively, raising an eyebrow. 'Try what?'

'The security in this building is one of the best in Japan,' Fuji said matter-of-factly, 'and every one of the employees here is easily capable of restraining you, if need be.'

Fuji's smile grew wider. 'So. Don't even try it.'

Ryoma did all he could to not gape, and even mustered a smirk, though it was a bit weak. 'Che,' he said, though he felt somehow sullied. How could this smiling man who looked so frail and feminine have so easily read him? He wouldn't put it past the man to be some sort of mind reader; there was something that wasn't _natural_ about the man and his smile.

Fuji clapped his hands together. 'I'll give you a general job description.' Ryoma nodded, actually paying attention. 'You are basically Tezuka's maid with secretarial duties, or secretary with the duties of a maid. You are to clean all the rooms in the building save for Tezuka's office and his quarters, as he is quite the secretive man.' Fuji chuckled a bit at this, though Ryoma couldn't see what was so funny. 'You will also be present at our meetings to write down everything that is said, and you shall do all the duties of a secretary as you see fit. I think you can have Sakuno-chan's old office for that.'

Ryoma assumed that Sakuno-chan was the previous secretary that his employer had scared away. 'Are there any rules that I should take note of?' he asked, trying not to sound like he was concerned about the job he was undertaking. He did make an effort to try sometimes, even though he did like to keep a nonchalant manner about him.

'You should _never ever _get on Fujiko's bad side!'

Ryoma turned around again, now sitting on the chaise longue properly, to find a cat-like redhead with big blue eyes that grew even wider upon taking in the sight of Ryoma in all his maid outfit wearing glory.

'You're _so_ cute!'

And Ryoma promptly found himself being squeezed, or rather, something more akin to choking, by a stranger that he had met mere moments before.

'Where'd Tezuka get her?' the redhead asked energetically. 'I wish _I_ was the boss of Seishun so I could have a cute secretary too!'

'Eiji, no molesting the maid,' Fuji said admonishingly, though his chuckling negated his tone.

The redhead named Eiji obliged, letting Ryoma breathe.

'Can I show her around, Fuji?' Eiji said excitedly. 'I'll show her Sakuno-chan's old room and all and show her where she has to clean and stuff!'

Fuji walked around the chaise longue to where Eiji was, and replied, 'Go ahead, Eiji. Just don't get _too_ carried away, okay? We wouldn't want your attention straying too much from what's important.' Giving Eiji a kiss on the cheek, Fuji then stared down Ryoma pointedly with sharp cerulean eyes. 'There is something called_ too_ friendly.'

Ryoma unwillingly shivered under the gaze, but then Fuji's eyes were closed again and he was smiling as if nothing had happened. 'Have fun, you two!' Fuji said cheerfully, and Eiji pulled Ryoma up off the chaise longue and out the door.

xxx

Ryoma didn't know exactly what he had been expecting. Having woken up in such a modern-styled room, he had a vague notion that the rest of the building would be at least somewhat similar, but upon entering the hallway, he found that his notion was, though not unfounded, completely off.

There were quite a few doors, Ryoma noted, all with brass handles, brass doorknockers, and wood of deep mahogany, and they even had lintels above them with archaic kanji engraved into them. The kanji looked out of place, though, in such a profoundly Western hallway, with its decorative red carpet (with overly intricate designs) and elaborate wall lighting fixtures. There were little Western-style end tables between every other door made of the same deep mahogany that the doors were. Even the golden yellow of the walls seemed overwhelmingly not Japanese.

Ryoma was dragged through this Western hallway quickly and was pulled through a barely discernable blind door, and Ryoma couldn't help but let out a small gasp of delight that he would never admit to making.

Once again, his surroundings had drastically changed. There were thousands upon thousands of books around him, reaching up to the ceiling on bookshelves more than triple Ryoma's height. There was even a little alcove with an oriel window that overlooked the city, which looked like the perfect place to read a particularly riveting story. There were several mismatched chairs and tables placed haphazardly on the carpet. There were books _everywhere_; on the tables, chairs, shelves... Ryoma could even spy a few sitting dangerously on a shelf's ladder.

The library had to be larger than any other Ryoma had ever seen, and he immediately felt a need to scour through the shelves for books, for the words that formed such elegant images in his mind. How long had it been since he had read a good book? There had to be hundreds of them in this library of immeasurable size.

Eiji tugged at his hand. 'Ryoko-chan?' he inquired impatiently, seeing Ryoma's stunned expression. 'We have to get moving.'

'Can I come back here later?' Ryoma asked in a small voice, though he didn't_want _to leave. He could spend days in this huge place without leaving the room, with so many books for company.

Eiji nodded furiously. 'You can do whatever you want, s'long as you don't bother Tezuka when he's reading,' Eiji replied with a wide grin. 'So let's _go_! You can ogle at the books _later_.'

Ryoma acquiesced and let his feet follow Eiji out of the library, though his mind was still deep in the room with all the books around him.

'Oishi's _really_ picky about the cleaning,' Eiji informed him, as they walked (or rather, Eiji was dragging Ryoma along) down the hallway. 'Most of the time, he cleans up everything himself 'cause he's always so worried that there might be some germs that get in and then somebody will get sick or something.'

Ryoma remembered partially what the worrisome 'Oishi-mama' had been talking about earlier, and agreed that said Oishi would be the type of person to do such.

'All you have to do most of the time is just whatever Tezuka tells you to,' Eiji continued, stretching his arms behind him, 'and what Fuji says to do.'

'I understand about Tezuka,' Ryoma said, recalling that Tezuka was the boss of this Seishun place, 'but why Fuji?'

'I told you earlier, didn't I?' Eiji said reprovingly. 'You should _never_get on Fujiko's bad side.'

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. 'And why would that be?'

Eiji lowered his voice, and replied conspiratorially, 'Rumour has it that anybody who gets on Fuji's bad side suddenly gets into accidents and things like that. Plus, Fuji just has that air about him, doesn't he?'

Ryoma would have asked 'What air?' had he not felt this 'air' as well, this mood about Fuji when he had glared at Ryoma that just said, 'Mess with me and you will completely and utterly regret it.'

Ryoma's curiosity was not yet satiated though. 'And what is this Seishun?' he asked, running a hand through his long hair. It would get in the way if he had to do any manual labour, and he should probably get it cut sometime, or find something to tie it up with.

Eiji laughed. 'Hi-mi-tsu,' he said impishly. 'If you want to know, you can ask Tezuka later, and see what he tells you. I don't want to say anything that I'm not s'posed to by accident.'

After what seemed to be a whole lot of walking and two flights of stairs, Eiji finally let go of Ryoma's hand. 'And these are your quarters.'

With the stairs right behind him, Ryoma looked around. There was nothing else on the floor except for a single door with a coat of arms on it.

Before Ryoma could comment on this, there was an uproar from downstairs.

'What do you _mean_ you can shoot better than I can, mamushi?'

'Of course I can! You couldn't hit a target even if it was as big as your ego, idiot!'

'Who are you calling an idiot? I did better on those exams than you did!'

'Only because you, _beanpole_, were lucky in your practicals and didn't have to run while it was _raining_!'

'Oh, complaining about the _weather _now? Don't blame the weather for your own crappy results!'

Eiji ran down the stairs, and Ryoma, not knowing what to do, followed.

The scene that Ryoma saw was quite interesting. Beanpole-san, who was rather beanpole-like, and Mamushi-san, who was rather snake-like, were glaring daggers at each other, standing three metres apart, and hurling insults at each other. The insults were getting more and more ludicrous, reaching an 'I bet you scared the examiner into passing you by hissing at him!' before Ryoma felt a commanding presence behind him.

'Momoshiro. Kaidoh.'

Those two words alone were enough to shut Beanpole-san and Mamushi-san up in an instant.

'What is going on here?' Tezuka Kunimitsu asked, his voice serious. He walked down the stairs past Ryoma and turned to look at Beanpole-san first, than to Mamushi-san.

'Oh, Tezuka, I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it.' Ryoma should have been used to it by now, this slinky voice of Fuji Syusuke, but his popping up _everywhere_ was something that could be nothing but disquieting.

'Why don't you let me _deal_ with them, so you can take care of Ryoko-chan here? See, I wouldn't want them to be a bother anymore, especially after they promised to not make any more trouble after that last_incident_.' Fuji stared down both of the perpetrators who visibly shook at the weighty gaze of Fuji's two blue eyes.

'It's okay!' Beanpole-san said hurriedly. 'We'll be quiet now, right, Ma-Kaidoh?'

Mamushi-san, or Kaidoh, nodded quickly.

Fuji smiled widely, snapping his eyes shut. 'Well, that's over and done with. Eijiko, I think Ryoko-chan here has taken up_ more_ than enough of your attention for the day.'

Fuji slipped his arm into Eiji's and they walked away, though Eiji did look back at Ryoma apologetically.

Ryoma looked at the imposing man with brown hair and glasses. 'Tezuka...-san?' he questioned.

'Just Tezuka will be fine,' the man replied without a smile.

Ryoma waited for the man to say something. But he didn't.

The two stood in silence for maybe two minutes before Ryoma spoke up to break the strange pause in conversation, if the two sentences that had been said previously could count as a conversation. 'So.'

Tezuka looked at him with a bit of a frown. 'Yes?' Tezuka looked a bit like a professor with his frown, glasses, and rather formal clothing, Ryoma thought abstractedly.

'What am I supposed to do?' Ryoma asked simply. 'To get paid, you know?'

'Ah.' Tezuka nodded. 'You can inspect your quarters now to see if they are to your liking. At seven, please report to the dining room for dinner.'

The man left quickly, with large steps, and Ryoma wondered how one should 'report' to the dining room.

And then wondered more about the exact _location_ of this dining room he was supposed to be reporting to.

He pulled out the necklace he had been wearing from under his shirt. It had a wooden pendant on it and a silver timepiece as well. Ryoma checked the time. 6:55.

He thought about the hallways he had walked through, and the two flights of stairs that he had walked on. The building would have to be pretty huge, and it would probably take quite a while for somebody unfamiliar with the building to find one room, like a dining room. Quite a while being longer than five minutes.

'Oh shit.'

**x tsuzuku**

There may or may not be an update next week, depending on how stressed and tired I am after exams. But reviews (and relentless nagging) would probably be a good way to encourage another chapter, I think xD So yesh. Reviews would be appreciated. -awinchan


	3. Chapter 3

**antiTHESIS**

And here I am, with another chapter! I'm keeping to my update schedule, but Hermes only knows how long that will last.Just wondering - are the flashbacks at the beginning annoying? Because a friend told me that reading in italics was a pain... so just offer up some opinions on that after reading, please? XD

Thanks to Tuli-Susi for pointing out a mistake. XD

**x the beginning of the end of the beginning **

_'You know I don't like you working such late hours, Nanjiroh.'_

_A man laughed. Ryoma's father. 'Ah, Rinko-chan,' he said cheerfully, grinning at his wife. 'You know it can't be helped. At least you know I'm actually doing some work, right?'_

_Rinko sighed. 'Nanjiroh, you could at least_ _come home earlier so you can talk to your son once in a while, right? He hasn't seen you for weeks because you go to work before he wakes up and come back home long past his bedtime.'_

_Nanjiroh lost his grin, now serious. 'I can't help it, Rinko-chan.'_

_'We have more than enough money from both of your jobs to retire and still have more than enough money in our accounts, Nanjiroh,' Rinko said with an insistent tone. 'Ryoma needs you more than your job does. Do you know how _isolated_ he is at school? He doesn't talk to anyone! Your job is dangerous as well, and one day it's going to catch up to you.'_

_Nanjiroh mimicked Rinko's previous sigh perfectly, something that had come from their long marriage. He had a slight impish smile on his face when he replied, 'I'll think about it, okay? I promise.'_

_Rinko accepted this answer, and exited the kitchen, leaving Nanjiroh sitting by himself at the table, for once not opening the dirty magazines laid in front of him, his little smile sliding off his face along with his fa__ç__ade of flippancy._

_His next sentence as quiet, more like a spoken thought that a statement. 'I just want to make sure it doesn't catch up to the two of you.'_

_A little boy who had been eavesdropping just barely heard the murmur, being busy with trying to get back to his bedroom before his mother realised that he wasn't sleeping, but he had heard the sentence clearly enough, and couldn't help but wonder what his father feared would catch up to his mother and himself._

xxx

'Ah, pass the wasabi please, Ryoko-chan.'

Ryoma nodded, picking up the a large plate of green blah even though Fuji Syusuke already had two of said plates in front of him. Ryoma didn't even bother asking; he probably didn't want to know the answer. The mock-innocent smile on Fuji's face told him that much. He stood up to hand the plate across the table, over many dishes of mismatched food like shrimp crackers and mashed potatoes, and then sat back down on to the now rumpled ruffles of his maid uniform. He really needed to get a new wardrobe... but it would probably stay horrendously feminine. There was no need to make the others aware that their newest employee was of the same gender that they were, really. He didn't want to be fired twice in such a short span of time.

Ryoma's plate was already laden with junk food of various types and a ceramic white bowl of miso soup, his third helping. He had previously filled it up with assorted seafood and ramen, being quite hungry after his long run to find the dining room. There had to be at least three of them in the building of unfathomable and illogical size. It was not the average man's dinner, of course, but the average man didn't eat in a room that looked like it belonged in the Renaissance period while cross-dressing.

There was mild chatter all around Ryoma. Eiji and Beanpole Momoshiro were chatting animatedly about the latest album by some sort of pop group. Oishi was simply offering a few words every now and then in Tezuka's direction, though Tezuka didn't give a reply outside of a nod or an 'hn'. It seemed that Tezuka's conversation skills were as bad as they had seemed. The man with the black spiky hair and glasses was simply sitting there with a notebook out and a pen at hand, observing. Ryoma shuddered; the man looked like a predator eyeing his prey. Fuji was talking to the man with the notebook, smiling away though his conversation was onesided.

Despite his choice (or rather, lack of it) of dining companions, Ryoma was eating quite cheerfully; it had been a while since he had drunk a decent bowl of miso soup. He really relished properly cooked Japanese food, despite his growing up in America. There was nothing better than an apposite Japanese breakfast cooked by Ryoma's mother, in his opinion; it was the one thing that could wake him up without invoking his morning irritability. Not that he was ever going to get one of those again, no matter how much he missed them.

'Fuji.'

The voice was not particularly loud, but there was such strength intoned into those two syllables from Tezuka Kunimitsu, who looked as serious as ever. Ryoma couldn't help but wonder if the man ever _smiled_ at all. He'd have expected the man to have wrinkles with the way Tezuka frowned.

All was quiet though, once Tezuka spoke.

'Yes, Tezuka?' Fuji replied cheerfully, gracefully picking up another piece of sushi with his chopsticks. He dipped it into his soy sauce and wasabi mixture, and dropped it into his mouth, chewing for a full thirty seconds. 'Delicious. I'll have to give my compliments to the chef.' Fuji's eyes glanced at the timid brunet by his side. (Could it be called glancing if his eyes were closed?)

'Fuji,' Tezuka said, now sounding stern.

Fuji smiled yieldingly, and said, amused, 'Okay, okay, Tezuka. I'm sure you're very anxious to hear about my latest adventures this weekend.' He propped his chin up on his elbow, and pondered aloud, 'Let's think about what happened then...' His smile only grew wider, not seeming any more angelic. 'I'm having a bit of trouble recalling-'

'Fuji,' Tezuka interrupted. 'Please.'

There was enough weight in those two words to compel Fuji to actually start speaking.

Ryoma felt a nudge on his left, where Oishi sat, holding out a pad of paper and a pen. Ryoma nodded, understanding, and poising himself for a bout of rapid dictation.

'Well, I went to visit our old acquaintances, as you asked me to, Tezuka,' Fuji began, his aquamarine eyes alert and detracting from the frivolity of his words. Ryoma made sure to get down every word, despite his wondering about their actual importance. Fuji looked like he was saying something of great significance, so Ryoma decided that he might as well copy it down.

'As I was not on the hosts' guest list, I did try and stay hidden, speaking with those of little influence who would not remember a shy little brunet as myself.' Fuji chuckled, now interlocking his fingers and resting his head where they linked. 'I did see a certain person I had not expected to be there though, as I was sure he did not mingle with our acquaintances' circle.'

Fuji had no trace of a smile left on his face when he finished, 'Uchimura Kyousuke indubitably seemed to fit in easily with our dear friends, and gave the impression that he had much to say to them about his own little team. Secrets that wouldn't be good to leak out.'

There was a pause in which the silence seemed deafening. Ryoma concluded that the party, if it was even a party that Fuji had gone to was not a party of the commonplace kind.

'Have you informed Tachibana of Uchimura's deeds?' Tezuka asked, his voice low.

Fuji closed his eyes again, and smiled. 'Of course. I can't help but gossip, you see.' He let out a feminine giggle that made Ryoma shiver. 'I also overheard, quite by accident, of course, from Uchimura that Tachibana was becoming a _bit_ more ambitious in his goals. Said that he had arranged a rendezvous with our wonderful partners over in Hyoutei.'

To Ryoma's left, Oishi let out a gasp. 'They can't really-'

'Yes,' Fuji insisted. 'He can.'

Fuji, looking satisfied with the reaction he had kindled, ate another piece of sushi, with insides that were rather green and mushy.

'Kikumaru. Fuji.' Tezuka sounded short and businesslike. 'Meet with Hyoutei to set up a meeting. Please make sure that this meeting is before that of the Fudoumine group.' Fuji and Eiji left the table immediately, not giving a second glance to the not-yet-clean plates. Tezuka then turned to Momo and Kaidoh. 'Momoshiro, Kaidoh, find out what plans the Fudoumine group have for their meeting with Hyoutei, and see if there is anyway you can prevent it.' Momo left with a cheery salute and an observable punch to Kaidoh's shoulder, who stood up without a word, only glaring at the tall man that he worked with. Tezuka then faced Oishi. 'Please check up on Sanada, and see if there is anything he will tell you, and Inui, go and confirm what Fuji has said with Rikkai.' The man with the spiky black hair and glasses stood up.

All but Tezuka and Ryoma left the room quickly, leaving the room devoid of life except the bespectacled brunet and the maid costume-clad Ryoma with a huge long table of food that had yet to be eaten.

'Please clean this up,' Tezuka said curtly, nodding at the table, 'and then head to your quarters. I will show you where you are allowed and what you are to do there.' The man left without another word, and Ryoma decided that his employer _really_ didn't know how to carry on a conversation. Not that Ryoma would complain, not particularly enjoying words, but the man seemed unsociable to a level that even Ryoma could not compare. (Not that he would say that to the man who would pay him triple his previous salary _and_ offer food and lodgings as part of the ludicrously too-good-to-be-true deal.)

Ryoma did sigh though, looking at the large mess. It would take a while to clean up... But Ryoma heartened. Physical labour was better than being forced to almost literally lick the boots of some idiotic CEO (in other terms, his previous boss), and acting like a girl working in a maid café. He started on the large plates of food, stealing bits and piece as he worked, and only as all the plates, bowls, cups, and et cetera were piled up neatly did Ryoma realise he did not know where the kitchen was, and where the dishware was to go.

First not telling him _where_ the dining room was (and which one to congregate in), and then telling Ryoma to clean up the table and not where to put all the dishes... Only his salary kept the olive-green-haired boy from cursing at his employer who really didn't seem to think things through that well. Perhaps his cognitive processes were on the same train that his conversational skills were.

xxx

When Ryoma was told where his quarters were, he hadn't expected to open the door and see what he saw.

'This is... a bit small,' he said, discomforted, knowing immediately that 'a bit small' was definitely an understatement. He fiddled with the pendant on his necklace, looking about the room, in which there was a mere three metre by one metre space. He and Tezuka were in the room, the door with the coat-of-arms on it closed behind him. It made Ryoma feel a bit claustrophobic, this carpeted room with nothing for decoration outside of another coat-of-arms that looked the same as the one on the door and a single wall lamp to Tezuka's right.

Tezuka nodded. 'Our quarters are through here.'

Before Tezuka could continue, Ryoma questioned, 'Our quarters?'

'Yes. My quarters are here as well.'

Ryoma could hardly fathom how _one_ person could live in this little rectangular room, let alone two. Perhaps Tezuka _was_ insane. Somebody who lived in a building with such peculiar interior decorating had to be a bit eccentric anyway.

'Here,' Ryoma stated.

'Yes,' Tezuka said again. And then Tezuka kicked the wall beside him for no apparent good reason. And then it was settled. Tezuka Kunimitsu _was_ insane.

'Move to the wall on your left,' Tezuka commanded, and Ryoma obliged. That would put a greater distance between them anyway, and he didn't want to stand too close to somebody who kicked walls.

Tezuka kicked the wall again, and Ryoma's sharp bookish eyes couldn't help but notice that the man had kicked the same spot that he had before.

He kicked one last time, and then something fell right in between the two of them. A ceiling panel was dangling above them, and Ryoma saw a dark void where the ceiling panel had been previously.

Walking over with two strides, he stood directly next to Ryoma. He raised his hands into the gap above them and pulled out a ladder, which barely missed Ryoma's leg as it came down.

Tezuka then moved to the wall where the escutcheon was, and pressed his back against it. He nodded towards the ladder, and Ryoma understood that he was to climb up first. He put one foot on the first step, and tested it, pushing down on it. Satisfied that the ladder wouldn't collapse under his weight, despite the fact that it looked a bit _too_ rickety, Ryoma climbed up with ease.

Ryoma stood in a dark room. He couldn't tell how large it was, as there was literally no light at all outside of the faint light from the room below. He walked for a few steps, but hit no wall. The floor was probably some sort of wood, from the way Ryoma could slide on it. He couldn't feel any indents where tiles might meet, so wood was the safest answer.

Tezuka climbed up behind him, towering over Ryoma. He walked forward purposefully, clearly emitting an air of being up in this attic of sorts many a time. Upon stopping, he flicked some sort of switch and all lights went on. Ryoma let out yet another involuntary gasp; those seemed to be quite common nowadays.

The room was stately. Well, it wasn't just one room, but more of a suite. But it was stately; there was no other word for it. It had the immaculacy of a hotel room, with the windows' thick, midnight blue curtains hiding the room from the sun, and the dark tsuga wood had not a speck of dirt on them. There was a fireplace that was crackling, which was completely impractical, considering the fact that it was nowhere near cold enough for a fire to be flickering, and it was the wrong century for that. There was a _reason_ that mankind had invented heating. The fireplace did give a homey English sort of feel, with a few couches sprawled around the fireplace in an elegant manner. There was a bar of sorts in the corner, with a fridge that just _looked_ well stocked. There were a few doors leading into other rooms, one ajar, in which Ryoma could spy a desk with a computer.

Tezuka pulled back up the ceiling panel, which he then set in place. 'This is the drawing room. The other members of Seishun will be here often for both work and leisure.'

He then nodded to the door that was slightly ajar. Ryoma noted that Tezuka never seemed to actually _point_ at anything. Maybe he considered it too discourteous. 'You may use all of the materials in that office for whatever purposes you may have, as long as you type up what is said during meetings.'

'You may enter all rooms in here and use all the faculties except anything beyond that door.' Tezuka then nodded (again) at a door with an unassuming bronze plaque on it. Tezuka then retreated through said door, leaving Ryoma with no idea as to where to go.

Well, he might as well type up all that was said at dinner. He had never written so messily and hurriedly in his life, but at least it was still legible, to a certain extent. If this was all he would have to do to earn his salary, there was nothing he would say to complain about it.

He went into the room with the computer, and turned it on, to reveal the log in screen. There was one account only, named 'Sakuno-chan', presumably the nickname for the previous secretary. He'd have to change that... but changing it to 'Ryoko-chan' wasn't actually that much better. Maybe he'd just leave it as that.

He clicked on 'Sakuno-chan', and got into the account, not being prompted for a password. He quickly opened a document and typed up all that he had written at dinner, despite the absurdity of most of it. There was something dark lying underneath the light words of Fuji, Ryoma was sure, and his insatiable feline curiosity would give him hassle to no ends until he figured out what it was.

Ryoma checked the time on the bottom-right hand corner of the computer monitor. The small white numbers 9:29 PM startled him; he hadn't realised it was so late already. How long had he been in this strange building? He wasn't sure _exactly_ of when he had woken up, and he didn't know how long he had been unconscious from that strange tranquilliser either. He pulled out his necklace again to check the time on his own pocket watch. 9:29. So it really was that late.

Looking in the same corner of the screen, Ryoma became aware of the fact that there was no internet connection.

A vague idea pulling at him, Ryoma looked around the room. There was no phone. Ryoma hadn't seen one since he had woken up. Also, he had yet to see a door that led _out_. The whole place was a mystery, with hidden doors, huge pseudo-attics, and very strange antics from very strange people. A disturbing thought came to him - what if he never got out?

But nobody would actually _keep_ him there, right? As that was illegal. And if they were going to force him to stay in said building anyway, they wouldn't have offered to pay him. Also, why would they want Ryoma to stay there?

They certainly did seem to want to keep him quiet though; they had hired him, even though they knew nothing of his credentials, so that he wouldn't spread word about Tezuka's phone call. This Seishun place was important, Ryoma knew, if they could speak to anybody from Hyoutei, let alone strike a deal. Deals with Hyoutei were often shady and lucrative to an astronomical degree, Hyoutei being very powerful and having fingers in all the right pies, or rather, it was household name Atobe Keigo's long slender fingers in the wallets of all the high-classed families.

He turned off the computer and headed back to the drawing room, not certain of what to do. He sat in one of the couches, staring into the fire. If a log weren't thrown into the fireplace soon, the fire would die out. The couch was soft, and Ryoma felt himself sinking into it, and let his eyes rest. It had been a long, eventful day, and Ryoma had a feeling that he would need all the energy he could get for the next day. Just a catnap, Ryoma assured himself, and allowed himself some much needed sleep.

** x tsuzuku**

Tada! Is the story going along too slowly? Oh, and this hasn't been beta-ed, but I wanted to make sure I kept to my schedule. If you notice any mistakes, please tell me? XD And reviews would be perfectly lovely, no matter how short or long or insulting xD. -awinchan


	4. Chapter 4

**antiTHESIS**

Thank you to all who reviewed! You made my day XD And now, chapter four! This chapter is long. ...At least, for my standards. I'm sorry if the bulky paragraphs last chapter irritated any of your eyes. xD (revised 2008.04.27).

**x when things start falling into the wrong places**

_Ryoma stood impatiently inside the shop, waiting for his father to _stop talking on his phone_. He'd been talking for at least five minutes now (probably to some random girl whose phone number he had 'found') and Ryoma needed his father's money to buy a few books. Ryoma didn't like public libraries - the books were touched by all sorts of people and often ripped, bent, and otherwise tortured. Some of the pages were even _coloured on_ at times, so he couldn't read half of the words. _

_'Oyaji,' Ryoma said, a bit rudely, trying to get his father's attention. However, his father just waved his hand and continued talking to his phone, making Ryoma rather angry. Maybe he would get a few _more_ books. It was his birthday, after all, and his father had _sworn_ that he would get all the books he wanted. ...A few dozens would probably suffice, Ryoma decided._

_'But the problem is nobody can lay any charges against them,' his father said. It didn't sound like the type of thing he would say to charm a girl. He actually sounded _serious_, something Ryoma wasn't accustomed to - so Ryoma waited. _

_'And this might be the only piece of evidence we will ever get. Forget all the risks - think of the end result we could get.'_

_His father paused. 'I'll call you back later - or my brat of a son will go and pick up all sorts of books to read that he'll make me pay for.'_

_'Nah, he doesn't read porno mags. He actually _reads

_'...Yeah, I'm not really sure if he's my son.'_

_Ryoma was going to pick up at least a _hundred_ books._

xrx

'You cause such _trouble_ for me, Niou,' a man with hair the colour of sapphires said, his hands held together elegantly and his blue eyes watching carefully for the reaction of the silver haired man across from him. The window behind him illuminated the office with a magenta glow, the sunset beautiful in the metropolitan landscape. The bluish-purple haired man's gentle smile complemented the natural light from the window, though his hard, searching eyes gave a completely different feeling.

The only other man in the room, Niou Masaharu, sported quite the nonchalant style, his silver hair in spikes and a single rattail, a black tie dangling over his unbuttoned white dress shirt. 'I would have hit him if some girl hadn't got in the way, Yukimura.'

'So you want to tell me that it was a complete coincidence that you hit the wrong target?' Yukimura Seiichi responded, chuckling. 'With all due respect, Niou, I don't believe that's it.'

His voice still gentle, Yukimura continued, 'I've already had Hiroshi in, and he's told me something interesting about our target's cell phone conversation. From your position, you could've easily overheard the conversation as well, couldn't you, Niou?' Yukimura's smile grew slightly wider.

Niou sighed. 'You already know what went on, Yukimura. Why do you have to ask? Yeah, I heard his conversation. I just shook a bit when I heard him mention us.'

Yukimura nodded. 'I deduced as much. Hiroshi also tells me that our target mentioned a certain company. I suppose that had something to do with it?'

'Hyoutei's on our case,' Niou finished for him.

Yukimura nodded. 'Correct, Niou. I am a bit surprised to hear that you were so easily shaken up, and a bit disappointed as well.'

Niou braced himself, sure that something unpleasant was coming.

'How would you like to take a vacation of sorts?'

Niou gave Yukimura a bemused expression, but the smiling man simply shook his head.

'I can only tell you after I'm sure our conversation is private. Now, Inui-kun, please do come out of hiding.'

xrx

'Tezuka, Tezuka!'

The loud, worried voice of Oishi-mama broke Ryoma out of his slumber on the couch. The room was bright; the curtains that had previously blocked out the sun were drawn and letting light fill up the room, the dark tsuga wood reflecting the golden rays onto the walls. It had to be at least mid-morning; Ryoma hadn't planned on sleeping so long.

Tezuka and Oishi were standing in front of Ryoma, talking. 'We've lost contact with Inui!' Oishi said frantically. 'We can't get him on walkie-talkie, radio, phone, anything! He hasn't sent us any message either, Tezuka! I think he might have been caught by Rikkai and kept prisoner. Who knows what they'll do to him, Tezuka? We have to-'

Tezuka raised a hand, stopping Oishi's onslaught of words. 'Have Fuji and Eiji find out what happened.' Oishi nodded and ran back out of the room, flying down the ladder.

Ryoma opened his eyes and rubbed them blearily. 'Whashhud I do?' he mumbled half-incoherently.

Tezuka looked down at him, pausing, as if trying to think up something _for_ Ryoma to do. 'Please attend to Fuji and Eiji and see if they need any assistance.' And with that, Tezuka retreated into a room, closing the door quickly behind him. Ryoma heard the click of the door being locked.

Tezuka had conveniently not told him where to find said Fuji and Eiji, making Ryoma sigh. He'd just have to look around.

But before he could even start looking for them, the two showed up. Eiji's head suddenly popped up through the hole in the floor where the ladder was, looking about. He locked his eyes on Ryoma like a cat that had found a fish.

'Nya, Ryoko-chan! Hurry up and get dressed!'

Ryoma just stared back. 'Wha?'

Eiji climbed into the room, Fuji following closely behind him, both with huge smiles and dressed in black suits, Fuji's being a bit more elaborate than Eiji's. Fuji then suggested, hands behind his back, 'It'd be good for you to get changed now, Ryoko-chan. We are in a bit of a hurry.'

'A hurry?' Ryoma asked a bit grumpily, still half-asleep. He really shouldn't still be tired, having slept for so long, but Ryoma liked his slumber. He also didn't like being woken up before noon.

Fuji chuckled. 'Yes, yes. So let's get going, shall we? I've got a lovely uniform for you all ready too!'

Ryoma felt something soft fly into his face. He couldn't see Eiji's grin. 'Well, chibiko? Go and change!'

'Who are you calling chibiko?' Ryoma growled, but obeyed nonetheless, not feeling up to arguing. He stood up, putting the thing that had been thrown into his face on the couch, and started untying many of the various ribbons on his maid outfit, when Fuji chuckled again.

'You could always change _inside _your room, Ryoko-chan.' Ryoma looked at Eiji, who was shielding his eyes and Fuji, who was still smiling. Ryoma inwardly yelled at himself. He was posing as a _girl_. He really had to think through his actions before actually following through with them. He picked up the pile of clothes that was on the couch and headed to his bedroom. Funny that he now thought of it as his own.

Ryoma finally got the chance to look at the outfit he had been given, and frowned. Even though he didn't particularly care about what he wore, this was a bit of a stretch.

'Does it have to be so...?' Ryoma finally said, exiting his room and emerging in an elaborate white frilly dress that looked like it belonged to a flower girl of a much lesser age than Ryoma. His shoes were the same white - and they were heeled.

Eiji stuck out a hand with a decorative white ribbon. 'For your hair,' he prompted. Ryoma took it, tying his long olive-green hair up. Think of the salary, he consoled himself with. The salary.

Fuji clapped. 'That's just perfect! You look quite cute, Ryoko-chan.'

Ryoma was about to snarl, 'I don't want to look _cute_' when Eiji added, 'Well, let's get going nya! The wedding's not going to wait for us!'

'Wedding?'

But nobody answered Ryoma's inquiry, Fuji and Eiji instead choosing to hoist Ryoma up and force him down the ladder with little thought to the fact that Ryoma could easily _fall_ if pushed through the gap in the floor.

xxx

'Nya, chibiko, don't be angry!'

Ryoma scowled, emitting an aura of great annoyance. His ankle _had_ to be at least sprained, and now there were rather colourful bruises ornamenting his legs. He directed his glare at Eiji, who, despite not even looking at Ryoma, shivered. However, he kept his eyes on the road as he drove at a speed that had to be illegal.

Ryoma didn't trust himself to not vomit upon opening his mouth to complain, so he kept quiet. Fuji, noticing Ryoma's discomfort, chided, 'Eijiko, try to drive only thirty above speed limit, okay? We don't need Ryoko-chan dirtying her dress.'

Eiji made a sudden stop, making Ryoma lurch forward. 'Hoi hoi! We've arrived!'

Ryoma flung open the door and stepped onto the solid ground, his knees weak. It was so _great_ to be out of the hellhole that was the car in which Eiji drove. He put his hands on his knees, panting slightly. He never wanted to repeat the experience again.

Fuji came out beside him, looking far better than Ryoma was, and smiled. 'Now, it wasn't that _bad_, was it, Ryoko-chan? Come on now, Eiji, Ryoko-chan, we should get going. The reception awaits.'

Fuji stuck out a hand that Ryoma took, albeit with some grudging. Normally, he'd detest having to receive help from anybody, but he knew that without a hand, he'd probably end up staggering. The only good thing that Ryoma could say about Eiji's driving was that he went by so fast that no police cars would be able to see his licence plate anyway.

Fuji then hooked his arm in Ryoma's, and said quietly, 'Today, you are to be my consort, and Eiji my butler. Don't speak unless spoken to, and do not stray from my side if you wish to retain your life.'

If any other man had said this to Ryoma with the wide smile that Fuji had, he wasn't sure that he'd believe him, but then, no other man that Ryoma knew of walked around with his eyes closed. Ryoma nodded and kept his mouth in a tight smile as Fuji waved and greeted all the people around, with Eiji following closely behind, flashing cute grins at anybody and everybody who they passed. They walked into a garden of sorts, filled with tables of food and tables with people at them. There was also a tiled area where some were dancing. Ryoma assumed that the wedding was over, as everybody was already eating and walking about.

'Ah, Fuji-san!' A redheaded man dressed equally as elaborately as Fuji walked straight up to the odd trio, grinning widely with a black-haired Japanese woman at his side. 'I'm _sure_ that you told me earlier that you wouldn't be able to make it!'

'Sengoku-san,' Fuji said amiably, an amused smile adorning his face. 'The appointment that I had had previously was suddenly cancelled, and I saw no reason not to come to your wedding.'

The redheaded man named Sengoku suddenly grinned even wider, and said, 'Lucky! And you have somebody with you today?' He looked at Ryoma, who tried his best to look feminine and not glare at the overly happy man in front of him. 'Fuji, where did you catch somebody so cute?' He turned to the woman at his side, still grinning. 'Isn't she cute, Nami-chan?'

The woman named Nami nodded, her hands held together quite primly. Ryoma would have thought that she was quite the boring character had she not unexpectedly pinched Sengoku on the cheek. 'You,' she started, a mischievous glint in her eyes, 'are really lucky, yes. But you won't be lucky any longer if I catch you staring at any more girls.'

Nami then smiled kindly at the three of them, and said politely, 'Thank you for coming to our wedding.' She left the three standing there, pulling Sengoku along as she greeted more guests.

'Quite fun, isn't she?' Fuji commented lightly. 'Well, let's find some seats. How about over there?' Fuji started walking, dragging Ryoma with him, and Ryoma couldn't help but feel a bit like Sengoku.

They sat at a large circular table in the company of but one other person, with Ryoma on Fuji's left and Eiji on Fuji's right. Fuji started some friendly conversation with the man at their table, and then asked Ryoma to get him some food. Ryoma almost argued but then Fuji stared him down. Ryoma and Eiji then bounded towards the bountiful tables of food. There were people dressed in chef's clothing milling around the tables with metal carts loaded with more food for the tables, and Ryoma wondered to himself if there was even room for more food in the first place.

'Na, chibiko, there's _so much food_!' Eiji said gleefully. Ryoma saw nothing too amazing; it was not that extreme, really, in comparison to what Ryoma had had to clean up the day previous at the dinner set for less than ten people.

'Who are you calling chibiko?' Ryoma repeated, quite irked. He wasn't _that_ short, really. Just because he was a bit vertically challenged didn't mean that everybody had to make such a big _deal_ out of it. It wasn't as if he was amazingly short or shorter than everybody else... he was just shorter than a majority of the people his age. (And some people younger as well, but who really cared about details?)

Eiji patted him on his head, annoying Ryoma ever more. 'S'okay, Ryoko-chan,' Eiji chirped. 'You're cuter short.'

Ryoma didn't even bother saying that he didn't want to be cute, but asked, 'What would Fuji-san like?'

'Y'know,' Eiji said slowly, 'you really should call him "Syusuke", if you're acting as his girlfriend, right? I mean, you should at least try to act your part nya.' Eiji was grinning, seeming quite amused at Ryoma's lack of foresight, which irritated Ryoma.

'Fine.' Ryoma took the large fork from the table and speared a few pieces of broccoli covered in cream of mushroom viciously. 'What would _Syusuke_ want?' Ryoma didn't appreciate being outsmarted by somebody who called him chibiko and talked like a cat.

Eiji picked up a plate and started piling up some food for himself. 'Something with wasabi,' Eiji decided. 'Just get him the things that look really weird.'

Ryoma raised an eyebrow, picking up a plate as well after putting down the fork. '...What are you trying to pull?' he asked.

Eiji shook his head.' That's not it. Fujiko actually likes that sort of stuff.'

Ryoma sighed inwardly; he'd probably just have to take the catlike man's word for it. And Fuji did seem strange enough for such things anyway. He spotted something covered in a black sort of sauce, and decided it would be as good a dish as any to start with. He picked up another plate and went around the buffet tables, picking up edible food for himself and things that Ryoma wasn't sure were actually edible for_ Syusuke_. He was quite satisfied with his own bowl of ramen with rather expensive toppings, and only wondered if Fuji would appreciate his black glop of doom (and other various glops of differentiating shades of mud).

By the time he had returned to the table, Eiji was already eating. Fuji beamed at him as Ryoma set down his plate. 'This is lovely, Ryoko-chan.'

Eiji sent Ryoma a look that clearly said 'told you so'. Ryoma only glared back and started eating.

'So, who is this, Fuji-san?' the man at the table asked, staring as Ryoma ate with the manner of somebody who had been starved for weeks. 'I don't remember seeing her the last time we met.'

Eiji elbowed him in the ribs, making Ryoma glare at him again, but Ryoma did relent, letting go of his food. He wiped his mouth with as much dignity as he could after having been seen eating at the speed of light by all occupants of the table

Fuji chuckled. 'Why don't we have her introduce herself then, Minami-san?' Fuji nodded at Ryoma.

'I'm... Meino Ryoko. Pleased to meet you,' Ryoma said easily, using the name that he usually used.

The man who had spoken previously replied, 'Minami Kentarou.' He handed over a business card that Ryoma put down uncaringly on the table. 'I'm pleased to-'

The man stopped abruptly midsentence, catching sight of two other people who had arrived at their table with plates of food in their hands, though the reason for his discontinuation was really but one of them.

'Ah, Akutsu-san!' Fuji said with pleasure as the two sat down in unoccupied seats. 'And Dan-kun as well! It's been a while, hasn't it?'

Ryoma wasn't sure how Fuji could smile at them at the odd duo, the towering menace with his grey hair and the young man who was shorter than even_Ryoma_ at his side, a green headband loosely fitted on his head.

The grey-haired one nodded, and sat down next to Minami, with Dan at his side.

Fuji gestured towards Ryoma. 'This is Ryoko-chan, Dan-kun, Akutsu-san. And you've already met Eiji, right?'

The younger boy nodded fervently. 'I'm Dan Taichi desu! I'm very pleased to meet you desu!' Ryoma simply nodded back, deciding that it would do well to be civil to people shorter than him. Set a good example for the rest of the world.

'Now, Akutsu-san...' Fuji's voice was lilting, but somehow...dangerous. 'Did you hear of a rather _intriguing_ rendezvous yesterday? Between one of my colleagues and one of your... acquaintances?'

The temperature of the air around the table seemed to drop by ten degrees as Fuji directed his cold blue eyes at the grey-haired man, who stared right back, unflinching. 'What's it to you?'

'Oh, what is it to me?' Fuji said, almost ponderingly, his eyes still wide open. 'Does that mean you do know of this _incident_?'

Nobody at the table was eating anything, all attention on Fuji and Akutsu. Dan was actually trembling, his small hands clenching the white tablecloth.

'Why would I tell you that?' Akutsu replied impudently. 'Inui was sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.'

'So Inui really was taken prisoner by Rikkai then?' Fuji said with a smile, his eyes closed again. 'Thank you, Akutsu-san.'

Akutsu opened his mouth, but shut it again, probably thinking that, Ryoma reasoned, it'd be best not to try and argue with Fuji, and just started mangling his chestnut cake with his spoon.

Eiji then piped up, 'Fujiko, I think we have to go now. You've a dental appointment,'

Fuji nodded, seeming the embodiment of one whose only problem was that of a cavity. 'A small price to pay for many a good dessert, I suppose.' Fuji stood up, with Eiji following suit. 'Well, maybe we'll meet again over a cup of almond tea?'

Ryoma was about to stand up as well when Fuji put a firm hand on his shoulder. 'Keep these _lovely_ gentlemen company for me until I get back, would you, dear?'

Without waiting for a response, Fuji and Eiji disappeared, leaving the table with one unsociable brat, one plain and dull man, one boy who seemed a bit too excited for his own good, and one murderous maniac, which was the perfect invitation for a rather interesting conversation.

'So, Meino-san,' Minami started, obviously trying to fish up something good to say, 'what's your job?'

'Secretary,' Ryoma replied bluntly, not really feeling up to pretending to be enjoying a conversation, but his reply sparked some interest from the shorter boy.

'Really?' Dan said, sounding quite chipper. 'I used to be a secretary too desu!'

Ryoma grunted a noncommittal answer, picking up his chopsticks. Couldn't they all just eat instead of talking? Also, the shorter boy was_really_ irritating him with his 'desu's. He started to eat some of his noodles quietly

'I heard,' a slow drawl voiced directly behind Ryoma,' that Fuji Syusuke's woman was at this table.' Ryoma immediately turned his head around to see a spiky silver-haired man smirking down at him. (Why was it that tall people always had a need to be _condescending_?) 'I suppose you're Ryoko-chan,' the man said.

Ryoma nodded, staring back relentlessly. 'So?' he drawled back with the same nuances as the man, who then chuckled.

'Figures,' the man said simply.

'Figures what?' Ryoma immediately challenged, now glaring. The man was just getting on his nerves now, his aggravation making him overlook the fact that all the other people sitting at the table were deathly silent, and their body postures were once again as tense as before Fuji had left.

'Figures that Fuji would leave somebody like _you_ here,' the man said with a mock-sigh. 'I almost wish he'd left that hyperactive redhead; he seems to have looser lips. But...' The man's smirk grew wider. 'I don't mind being left here with you either.'

The man stuck out a hand. 'Niou Masaharu.'

'Shouldn't you bow like a proper Japanese citizen?' Ryoma replied offhandedly, hands staying resolutely on the table. He was going to get a crick in his neck from twisting it to look up at the man. As if he didn't already have enough injuries from today.

'But you're not,' the man answered plainly, clearly enjoying the bemused look on Ryoma's face. 'Are you?'

Ryoma shook his head. 'But how-'

The man stuck out his hand once more, which Ryoma took this time to shake. However, the man pulled Ryoma off of his chair and to the dance floor.

'How well do you dance?' the man named Niou questioned, putting one hand on Ryoma's shoulder and one on Ryoma's waist.

'I don't,' Ryoma answered dryly, making Niou chuckle.

'Wonderful. Just follow my lead.'

And then Niou promptly stepped forward onto Ryoma's shoe.

'What the hell was that for?' Ryoma hissed.

Niou smirked. 'Language, Ryoko-chan. And you were supposed to step _back_ as I stepped forward to avoid that.'

'I would've thought that a date of Fuji Syusuke would have known how to dance,' Niou commented, spinning Ryoma out and causing Ryoma to trip over his shoes. A few of the other couples looked scandalised.

'Why do I have to dance?' Ryoma then asked angrily, standing up, wobbly on his heels.

'Because nobody is going to give a second glance to two people dancing, albeit badly, among a group of other dancers,' Niou replied, the infernal smirk seeming plastered on his face. 'Isn't that obvious?'

'So?' Ryoma questioned as he and Niou began an awkward waltz.

'Well, I didn't need anybody eavesdropping.'

'On what?' Ryoma asked sarcastically.

'On you confirming whether or not Tezuka Kunimitsu struck a deal with Hyoutei,' Niou said casually.

'Huh?'

Niou frowned. 'You can't be that clueless, do you take me for an idiot? How long have you been working for Tezuka?'

'Less than a week,' Ryoma responded, rolling his eyes. 'Is that what somebody was supposed to be eavesdropping on?'

Before the silver-haired man could reply, he unexpectedly slumped, falling against Ryoma. There was a very familiar dart in the man's neck.

'Couldn't very well let him get away with shooting you, could I?'

Fuji and Eiji popped up beside Ryoma.

'...What did your dentist say then?' Ryoma asked Fuji, sounding almost accusing.

'I have to go _straight_ home. No more celebrating for me,' Fuji said with a sigh. 'Eijiko, carry our guest for me?'

'Hoi hoi!' Eiji said happily, taking the man out of Ryoma's arms and resting him on a nearby metal cart that had nothing on it. Eiji put his hands on the cart's handles and started running, finally resting both feet on the cart and speeding away, catching quite a many strange looks.

'What is he doing with him?' Ryoma whispered to Fuji. 'Who was he?'

'Nobody you need to know,' Fuji informed him, and Ryoma understood what Fuji was saying - _don't think that you're in the loop yet_.

'Well, let's go then,' Fuji said quietly, latching himself to Ryoma's arm again. 'If I stay in the company of these idiots any longer, I might have to faint.' He waved a cheery goodbye to his previous table companions, none of whom waved back.

'Eiji'll be driving us back,' Fuji said conversationally, and Ryoma felt a sudden need to barf.

**x tsuzuku**

Tada! Another chapter gone and by. I'll update again in two weeks, hopefully. Now, wouldn't you all love to review? -awinchan


	5. Chapter 5

**antiTHESIS**

And another chapter is out! Shocking, shocking, isn't it? I'm actually updating! Whoa.

**x and then the ingredients were mixed together**

_'Ryoma, come over here.'_

_Ryoma sighed after noticing that his father was holding a magazine. Ryoma didn't like magazines. They were mere facsimiles - no, lesser versions - of books, with more pictures and with stupid advertisements. Magazines were full of gossip and things that Ryoma didn't like - especially the magazines (if they were even fit to be call that) that his _father_ read._

_Nonetheless, Ryoma obliged, walking over to his father. He peered over his father's shoulder to see, with a bit of surprise, that his father was not reading the type of magazine that he usually read. (The type that one usually looked at pictures in, rather than actually _reading_.) It was a computer magazine of sorts, Ryoma deduced, after seeing the many technology-related pictures with price tags next to them._

_'Do you know what a memory card is?' his father asked. Ryoma simply shook his head; he had never heard of the term._

_'Wah, seishounen, I'd have thought that after reading so many of those stupid books of yours, you'd at least know _something_,' his father scoffed. Ryoma just went back to his reading. _

_His father wasn't worth talking to when he was in his complain-about-Ryoma's-reading mood._

xxx

The first thing that came to mind was that the place where he worked at did not even begin to match up with the building he was in now. The Seishun Agency's headquarters were rather eccentric in its interior decorating, with décor that differed drastically from room to room. This building, however, exuded pure, unadulterated _wealth_.

'Are those marble pillars?' Ryoma said incredulously, as he looked over at the Roman-style pillars that were surrounding a medium-sized rectangular pool of water that was filled with koi. And then he noticed the sheen of the floor. 'Are these _gold tiles_?' And then - 'How much did that painting _cost_?'

'Meino-san.'

The commanding voice of Tezuka immediately made Ryoma shut his mouth, which induced a giggle from Fuji. 'So _obedient_, aren't we, Ryoko-chan?'

Ryoma simply glowered at Fuji, who smiled widely. Finding that his surroundings were much more captivating than Fuji, Ryoma resumed his looking around.

The place was absolutely huge. Gargantuan. Enormous. Ryoma had never been in a room this size, and there seemed to be many doors that led to rooms of equally monstrous proportions, if what Ryoma could see through some open doors was accurate.

The whole of Seishun Agency minus Inui (or at least what Ryoma believed to be the whole) was walking through the entrance hall of the mansion. Nobody else seemed too surprised at their surroundings.

'Chibiko, careful of the stairs!'

Ryoma turned his head while still walking, and promptly tripped down a short flight of mahogany stairs - whose idiotic idea was it to place a flight of stairs so close to the front doors? And why were there stairs leading _down_ when Ryoma hadn't even walked _up_ a flight of stairs yet?

'Meino-san, you have to be more careful!' Oishi admonished, helping Ryoma up. 'What if you injured yourself? What if you twisted your ankle? Broke your leg?'

'I'm _fine_,' Ryoma said, with a tinge of exasperation. He quickly brushed himself off, straightening his dress, which, incidentally, Fuji had chosen out for him.

'Y'know,' a voice drawled, 'your dress is ripped.'

'So?' Ryoma said challengingly, looking at Niou, who had his hands shackled behind him and his feet chained together loosely. Ryoma, looking back at himself, saw that his dress was indeed ripped. What kind of clothing ripped after a single _fall_? Dresses were so impractical. There was a huge rip right across the dress at Ryoma's mid thigh. How had that happened with just a measly fall?

'That simply _will not do_,' Fuji said thoughtfully. 'We can't have your secretary arriving in such a fashion, can we, Tezuka?'

Tezuka looked back at Fuji with the amount of expression that a rock could show.

'Come now, Ryoko-chan, let's go find a dress for you to change into,' Fuji said cheerfully. 'I'm sure Atobe wouldn't mind us sifting through his things.'

The name Atobe immediately put Ryoma on guard. Atobe Keigo was the top of the corporate world, and was not somebody to be taken lightly. The cross-dresser had heard so many rumours about how Atobe managed to keep Hyoutei Corporation at the top, little whispers about links to the government and to the mafia. ...Though it did explain the extravagance of the mansion - Atobe had enough money to spare to build ten buildings of the same size and décor.

'Don't try to run away, okay, Niou?' Fuji said with a smile, blue orbs eyeing Niou. Niou didn't even flinch under Fuji's gaze, simply smirking back.

'Run away?' he scoffed lightly. 'I'd much rather meet up with this _very_ interesting Atobe I just heard of. I didn't realise this was the Hyoutei mansion until now.'

'Well, you would have found out sooner or later,' Fuji said serenely, snapping his eyes shut. 'Let's go, Ryoko-chan.'

And then Fuji pulled Ryoma through one of the adjacent hallways, leaving the Seishun employees in the hall with their second Rikkai prisoner.

'Hm, how about this, Ryoko-chan?'

'...Fuji-san, that's more of a swimsuit than a dress,' Ryoma said with a bit more viciousness than perhaps necessary, frowning at the skimpy cocktail dress that Fuji had fished out.

Fuji picked out another dress from the hangers inside the walk-in closet, which was really more of a walk-in room that had dimensions larger than that of the average apartment. 'How about this then?'

'I'm not going to another _wedding_, Fuji-san.' Ryoma stared disgustedly at the article of clothing that was more frills than dress.

'I can't find any French maid costumes,' Fuji said with a tone of disappointment. Ryoma stared wide-eyed at the brunet. 'Seems that they aren't quite Atobe's taste. And I had figured him to be a fan of - Ah! Here they are!'

Fuji triumphantly pulled out not one, not two, but three overly elaborate pieces of frills, ribbons, and lace. 'So, which one do you like the best, Ryoko-chan?'

Think of the money, Ryoma reminded himself. It wasn't as if dressing up in such clothes was any different from what he had done previously. 'Any would be fine,' Ryoma relented, and Fuji handed him one of the three.

'Well, change away, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji said happily. 'They look like they've been made for you.'

Ryoma said nothing, instead slowly extracting himself from the ruined dress he was wearing and into the other one.

'And it seems that Inui's data is wrong again,' Fuji said with a sigh. Ryoma froze.

'You really are a guy.'

And Ryoma's salary flashed in front of his eyes, the numerous digits fluttering out of his reach, as he stood half naked in front of Fuji, whose predatory eyes were not left unnoticed.

'Hm. What shall I do with you?' Fuji pondered aloud. 'I _could_ tell Tezuka that you are of the same sex as he-'

'No!' Ryoma said vehemently. He had already been fired from one job, and didn't need to be fired from another. He rapidly went through his head, trying to think of anything that he could use to bribe the taller brunet. Money? No, if Fuji was getting paid more than Ryoma was. Material goods? ...Nope, they could be bought with money. All Ryoma really had was his _body_, and he wasn't the type of person who would whore himself out. Though... the rapacious glimmer in Fuji's eyes _was_ a bit worrying.

Fuji waved his hand in an uncaring fashion, and smiled understandingly, making Ryoma confused. What was there to understand? 'Fine, fine, I won't tell Tezuka. But... I don't see what's in it for me.'

And now Ryoma's mind was supposed to be brilliant and think up something that could wow the young man in front of him.

Too bad that Ryoma's mind seemed to feel like disappointing him.

Fuji took Ryoma's stark silence as the fact that Ryoma had nothing to offer. 'Well, finish dressing yourself up, though I think that Atobe would prefer it if you _didn't_. You'll just owe me a _favour_, okay?' Fuji had an innocent smile that definitely did not match the thoughts that were most probably running through his head. Ryoma shivered just trying to figure out what could possibly be behind Fuji's eyelids.

Ryoma turned a bit red and started putting on his dress, muttering, 'Yeah, he would.'

xhx

'Please, Shishido, I do have work to do. Can't you see that?'

Shishido scoffed, looking at his employer who was being given a shoulder massage by his secretary as he ate delectable looking cuisine of foreign origins with long, dainty fingers. The chair that his employer was lounging on _had_ to have been worth more than anybody normal could afford. But who had ever said that Atobe Keigo was normal?

'But _Seishun_ is here, Atobe,' Shishido replied, rolling his eyes, not really caring that he was speaking to Atobe Keigo, his employer, basically ruler of the business world, with such impertinence. Shishido Ryou _knew_ that he was irreplaceable.

'Seishun?' Atobe raised one eyebrow, an impeccable smirk on his face that would have made most of the female population (and possibly the male as well) swoon in delight. Shishido only rolled his eyes again. 'I suppose they've started their investigation then. I hope they have some good news for me; Fudoumine was particularly disappointing with their proposition... Though I do trust Seishun Agency's abilities more.'

He tilted his head back to look at his secretary. 'Jirou.' The blond immediately ceased his massaging, beaming down at Atobe with large, round eyes.

'Yeah, Keigo?' Akutagawa Jirou said cheerfully. The smile on his face stretched from one end to the other; Shishido doubted that it could get any bigger.

'Let's go.' Atobe snapped his fingers, making the noise resound in the circular office. Atobe stood up and headed out of the room, Jirou bouncing behind him happily. 'Kabaji!'

A tall, hulky man moved from Atobe's side (Shishido was _still_ convinced that the man was actually a robot) and faithfully trotted out the door after them.

Shishido sighed. It seemed that he'd have to discuss Choutarou's worries another time. He too followed Atobe out of the office.

xhx

'Fujiko! Chibiko! You're back!' Eiji said ecstatically, jumping up from the sofa where he, Oishi, and Tezuka had been sitting, Eiji having been sandwiched between the two. Tezuka's eyes, though his face was as expressionless as ever, betrayed the smallest sign of relief. Oishi sighed, sounding relieved as well.

'Yup,' Fuji said, tiptoeing and planting a kiss on Eiji's cheek. 'Ryoko-chan and I were having _fun_ choosing out some outfits. Don't you like it?' Fuji pulled on Ryoma, bringing all the attention of the people in the waiting room to him. Damn. He had been trying to shrink into the floor. He did frown though, upon seeing Niou's smirk. Ryoma wished that he could go right over and punch the silver-haired man in the face - he'd deserve it.

'Nya! Chibiko, you're _so cute_!' Eiji exclaimed, giving Ryoma a rather violent hug. 'Like a doll! Wah, chibiko, you're _so cute_!'

While Eiji continued his rather repetitive monologue, Momo and Kaidoh were arguing by themselves on a separate loveseat about something. Ryoma could hear words like 'Inui' and 'worried' faintly over Eiji's loud voice.

'Fujiko, don't you think Ryoko-chan's _just so cute_?' Eiji asked excitedly, still hugging Ryoma tightly in his arms. Ryoma wasn't sure that he was going to be able to last much longer without air to breathe.

Oishi noticed this, and tried to intervene. 'Eiji, I think that you should let go of-'

'Yes, Ryoko-chan's adorable.' Fuji interrupted, smiling. 'Don't you think so, Tezuka?' Fuji then asked, surprising Tezuka. 'Ryoko-chan's _cute_, isn't she?'

In the pause that followed, Momo and Kaidoh stopped arguing, Oishi's mouth formed a wide 'O', Eiji spun around to look at Tezuka, his arms still clinging to Ryoma, and Fuji's smile wasn't the usual innocent smile that Fuji so often had. Niou was still smirking. Damn him.

Tezuka said nothing in reply, but Ryoma's observant eyes caught the slightest, _slightest_ nod from Tezuka.

'Eiji, Meino-san's face is all red!' Oishi said, shocked. 'You're choking her!'

Eiji immediately released his grasp, leaving Ryoma to gasp desperately for air. It seemed that Eiji was _trying_ to kill Ryoma. First the _driving_, and now _this_.

Before Ryoma could complain, however, the majestic double doors opened to reveal a man who was quite mismatched with his surroundings. Wearing a tee shirt and baggy jeans, with a bandage just hidden underneath a baseball cap, the man looked positively out of place in this building that was more than fit for royalty.

'Atobe will see you,' the man said in an annoyed tone, staring into the room a bit blankly, seeming like he wasn't taking in his surroundings. It hadn't been the reception that Ryoma had thought he would be receiving, especially from somebody who liked to show off as much as Atobe. He had been expecting something more like-

'Shishido-sama, you know that you aren't to talk that way with the guests!' A maid immediately appeared at the capped man's side. 'Even if Atobe-sama asks you to!'

A butler popped up by Shishido's other side. 'Come now, Shishido-sama, let me bring you to the lounge so you can refresh yourself first. You look a bit under the weather, and we can't have that, can we? Atobe-sama must have been a bit drowsy, if he asked you to talk to the guests.'

Shishido grumbled something suspiciously like 'Nah, he just wanted me to make a fool of myself' as the butler whisked him away.

More servants appeared out of nowhere, with plates of refreshments and offers to take their jackets and orders to take them to the meeting room, where Atobe was.

Ryoma sighed as one of the maids respectfully called him 'ojou-sama' and offered him a pair of slippers to wear instead of heels, in case he was feeling 'a bit tired, because heels can do that to you - oh, would you like me to bring you some tea?'

They seemed so... Ryoma wasn't sure how to describe them. Too dedicated to their jobs? A bit too serious about their jobs? ...But then Ryoma reminded himself - they were probably paid much more than they were supposed to be paid anyway, so why shouldn't they give a bit more effort? Ryoma shook his head at the maid, who pouted slightly and shrunk back, as if his refusal to take the slippers had been a personal slight for the maid.

'Well, let's be going then.' Fuji's soft voice immediately stopped all of the clamour from the servants, who hurriedly ushered the Seishun Agency and the shackled Niou to the meeting hall.

xxx

Ryoma couldn't help but gasp quietly as he entered the room.

There was the long Lamé curve of a table with its smooth glass cover, and the small, square-based vase with a single branch of a flowering plum tree in it. The high-backed wooden chairs that were _so _uncomfortable to sit in. And then, the person at the head of the table, with the inimitable smirk and challenging dark blue eyes.

Tezuka spoke formally, 'Thank you for allowing our presence here today. We have a new member with us as well, and we hope that you will allow her presence.'

Fuji laughed quietly. 'No need to be so proper, Tezuka, we're all friends here, right?' He flashed a smile at the people at the table. All but two cringed. 'Well, why don't you introduce yourself?' Fuji said to Ryoma.

The person at the head of the table shook his head. 'No need. Ryoko-chan. I haven't seen you in a while. Nice to see that your sense of style hasn't changed much.'

'Same to you, Keigo, same to you.' Ryoma said with a smirk.

And pandemonium transpired.

**x tsuzuku**

Annnnnd... Well. I can't help but insert a bit of AtoRyo. ...And bits of FujiRyo. It seems that there are little mentions of TezuRyo in this TezuRyo story - but it will come. Eventually.

I apologise for the brevity of this chapter, but I _had_ to stop there. XD

Well, thoughts on the new twist? n.n Out of the blue? Obvious? Reviews would be perfectly lovely. -awinchan


	6. Chapter 6

**antiTHESIS**

Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter xD They were lovely and made my week so much more bearable.

And another chapter pops into view! Idyllic Dystopia wasn't updated last week 'cause the muses died for it. I'll have to resurrect them for next week. But anyway, antiTHESIS's muses are alive and well (for now) and I intend to work them to the bone. xD So here is a chapter! Finally a bit of TezuRyo comes into play. Finally. xD

**x perhaps a new string weaved by the fates**

_'Hey, oyaji, who's that?'_

_'You should have some more respect for your dad, y'know,' Nanjiroh said, pretending to be resigned. Ryoma knew that his dad was pretending because his dad had that twinkle in his eyes that meant he wasn't serious._

Nevertheless, Ryoma's father looked in the direction that the boy had been pointing. His eyes landed on the large television screen in the shop window, and the twinkle disappeared.

_'Why do you want to know?' his father demanded immediately, the underlying tone in his voice something that Ryoma couldn't recognise. It wasn't anger, not amusement, not sadness... _

_Ryoma looked at the screen to see the face of a grey-haired man, whose kind smile and genial eyes didn't seem the type to induce such a change in his father's demeanour. He was talking, though Ryoma couldn't hear what he was saying, and moving his arms about while he was at it, his long slender fingers that had held one of Ryoma's books now gesturing gracefully._

_The capped boy just shook his head. The grey-haired man had been preparing a surprise for his father, and who would he be to ruin that? 'Why not?' he asked impudently, and his father snorted, taking off the boy's cap and messing up his hair. _

_The two then continued to walk down the street, with Ryoma discussing the latest novel he had bought to no complaints about Ryoma's bookishness from Nanjiroh, for once. Nanjiroh's attention was still back at the television screen._

xxx

The response was immediate.

'What?' Eiji shouted, making Oishi cringe. 'You _know_ Atobe-san, chibiko?' Eiji then continued a long barrage of shouts, mostly consisting of 'Why didn't you tell us?' and 'How do you know Atobe-san?'

Oishi didn't try and stop Eiji's shouting with a gentle rebuke for once, as his mouth was too occupied with gaping to do anything else. Momo and Kaidoh acted the same way, their jaws comically and identically wide.

'Please _do_ tell us, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji added lightly, his blue eyes searching. 'Since when have you known Atobe-san?'

Ryoma shrugged, smirking. 'I'd have thought you would have looked into my previous employer, Fuji-san,' he said casually, nodding at Atobe. 'Found yourself a new _secretary_ yet, Keigo?'

Atobe responded in the same casual manner, ignoring the gasps from Momo, Oishi, and Kaidoh. Eiji was too busy talking to nobody about how surprising it was that his chibiko knew Atobe to gasp. 'Of course I had done so immediately after I had given you your dismissal.' Atobe's smirk matched Ryoma's easily. 'It's not as if the job was particularly taxing, and it is quite popular. There were quite a few people who wanted the spot, obviously. Who wouldn't want to attend to me?'

Ryoma muttered, 'Anybody _sane_,' making Oishi choke on air and Fuji chuckle quietly.

Atobe chose to ignore Ryoma's remark. 'So, you work for Tezuka-san now?' Atobe gave Tezuka an appraising look. 'Well, you sure know how to find money, Ryom-'

Sensing dangerous waters, Ryoma quickly captained the conversation to something safer. 'To keep up niceties, I'll introduce myself, Keigo. My name is Meino _Ryoko_, though I cannot say that it is particularly nice to meet you.'

'Ryoko then?' Atobe raised an eyebrow, but not pushing the matter. 'If you wish. Let's get to business, shall we?'

Atobe snapped his fingers, and a blond-haired young man bounced in through the door, beaming as if his life depended on it. 'Kei-chan!' he said cheerfully, making Ryoma snort. The blond seated himself happily on the seat to Atobe's right.

'Sit yourselves down then,' Atobe said, his voice now more professional. Tezuka immediately took the seat at the opposite end of the table from Atobe, and Ryoma was pushed towards the seat at Tezuka's right by Fuji. Fuji promptly sat himself beside Ryoma. The others sat rather scattered around the table, with Niou choosing to stand.

'I see you've caught another one,' Atobe said dispassionately. 'I knew I was right to choose you over Fudoumine. They can't do anything right, probably because their leader used to be as uncivilised as your prisoner.'

Ryoma, seeing the blond writing furiously, decided that he should start writing down the conversation as well. He pulled out a notebook and a pen.

'Atobe,' Tezuka said sternly, 'I will not have your unkind remarks now.'

Here, Atobe raised both his eyebrows. 'I wasn't aware that _you_ were commanding this meeting, Tezuka.'

However, it was Fuji, not Tezuka, who answered. 'And I wasn't aware that you were ignorant enough to believe that you wouldn't have to agree to our terms, since we are the ones with the prisoners, Atobe.' Fuji smiled, and looked at Niou, who looked almost approving.

Ryoma scribbled rapidly, wondering if all the words that he was writing down had some actual importance. The banter was intriguing, to say the least, but not beneficial for Ryoma's right hand. He would have to switch to his left later if he didn't want his right hand to ache.

Atobe nodded, relenting. 'So why don't you introduce me to this silver-haired yanki?'

'We haven't been able to acquire his name yet,' Tezuka said in a level tone. 'All we know for certain is that he is the marksman of Rikkai.'

Niou scoffed quietly, making all heads turn to him. When he noticed this, he grinned. 'Oh, nothing, nothing. Continue on with your conversation.'

Ryoma silently cursed at Niou for saying words that weren't even _necessary_ that Ryoma would still have to write down.

'And your other prisoner?' Atobe asked. Ryoma's ears perked up. He had heard of this other prisoner more than once now, but had not seen him. And this Rikkai seemed more mysterious by the minute. What kind of company had a _marksman_? ...And what kind of companies kept prisoners nowadays?

'The vice-president of Rikkai.'

Atobe smiled. It wasn't a happy smile or an arrogant smirk - it was a cold smile of somebody who was very pleased about the turn of events, and not a smile that Ryoma enjoyed. 'Wonderful. I knew that I could count on you, Seishun. You'll be paid in full for your two prisoners-'

'Wait.'

Atobe sighed as Fuji interrupted. 'Yes?'

Fuji said plainly, 'Did you really think we would hand _both_ of our prisoners over at the beginning of our negotiation? We need some leverage in case you fall short on your side of the deal, not that I can insinuate such of the _ever_ noble Hyoutei.'

'Whatever you are insinuating, Fuji, I'll let it pass.' Atobe paused thoughtfully. 'Just the one prisoner then and half the payment until you have fulfilled your side of the deal.' Atobe turned to Niou. 'I'll take the marksman; you can keep your precious vice president.'

And then Atobe's voice turned mocking. 'I didn't think that you would sit back while your subordinates did the talking for you, Tezuka.'

Tezuka took no offence, simply saying, 'I trust them.'

Atobe laughed politely. 'Well, just leave your prisoner here. I'll have Kabaji send over the money in cash a few hours later; he is preoccupied at the moment.'

Tezuka stood up and bowed. 'Thank you for obliging us with your presence.'

Atobe nodded, smirking. 'You're welcome.' He glanced over at Ryoma, who was standing as well, his rather battered notebook bearing the signs of violent use. 'I'd love to see you back again, Ryoko-chan. Your dresses go to waste in my closet.'

'I'll be taking this one with me then,' Ryoma said carelessly. 'Not that it's any good, mind you. The material's scratchy.'

And with that scandalous remark, Ryoma left the room, in which Atobe was gaping in the same unrefined way that Oishi had been earlier.

xhx

'Scratchy material?' Atobe muttered, more to himself. 'How _dare _he complain about something that isn't even his!'

'Kei-chan?'

Atobe smiled at Jirou, his smile a kind one that was reserved solely for his boyfriend. 'Let's go eat lunch.'

'Not before you figure out what to do with that guy, you don't.' A drawled, uncultured voice spoke up, its owner entering the room. 'Could you get that sickening expression of your face?' Shishido was leaning against the doorframe, looking at Atobe disgustedly.

'Pay more respect to your betters, Shishido,' Atobe immediately snapped, the smile wiped off his face, and the prisoner brought to the top of his mind abruptly. 'And I will do whatever I want to do. You take care of the prisoner then, if you think you're so _smart_.'

Atobe tramped out of the office, Jirou trotting behind him, leaving Shishido in the room with no idea of what to do with the silver-haired man, who was smirking quite like how Atobe usually did.

Shishido decided right away that he didn't like him.

'Is this how things are usually done around here?' Niou asked. 'Prisoners are tossed about with no thoughts to the shackles that hold them?'

The words flew right over Shishido's head. 'What?' he asked, and then he cursed at himself for sounding so _dumb_.

Niou shook his hands behind his back, making his shackles clang together. 'The keys to these things. Does that other company still have them?'

Shishido shrugged. 'How would I know?'

'How the hell does somebody as idiotic as you get into a company as prestigious as this one?' Niou commented in a tone that showed he didn't really want an answer. 'But then, the president of this company seems to be such a dunderhead anyway, so maybe it's not much of a surprise.'

Shishido resisted the urge to snicker at Niou's comment about Atobe, since he had insulted Shishido in the same breath. 'I'm not stupid!' he retorted.

'What a_witty_ rejoinder,' Niou said. Shishido was slowly finding the man from Rikkai to be more infuriating than even _Atobe_, which was no mean feat.

'Shishido-san?'

Shishido let out a breath of relief. He could recognise the gracious tone of Ootori Choutarou _anywhere_.

'Choutarou!' he exclaimed with just the tiniest bit of glee, smiling at the tall, lanky man, whose hair, Shishido noticed, was practically the same shade as the prisoner's.

Too bad their personalities couldn't be more similar, Shishido thought rudely.

Choutarou smiled at Niou. 'Who is this, Shishido-san?'

Shishido started, 'I don't know-' at the same time that Niou replied, 'Niou Masaharu,' with a smile that matched Choutarou's in intensity. Shishido had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

'I'm Ootori Choutarou,' Choutarou replied kindly. 'I hope you enjoy your stay here, Niou-san.'

Expecting some offensive remark about how being a prisoner wasn't the _best_ way to enjoy yourself, Shishido got himself ready to interrupt. Niou seemed determined to confuse Shishido to death.

The man with the rattail bowed deeply, which Shishido wouldn't have been able to pull off without falling if _his_ hands were shackled. 'I'm sure I will,' Niou replied, grinning. Choutarou bowed back. 'It _would_ be more enjoyable if I could get these handcuffs off of me, but your company more than makes up for it.'

Choutarou laughed, taking his hand back and placing it onto Shishido's shoulder. 'Shishido-san will have to take you to your room, but I'll try and make some time to come find you.'

With that, Choutarou left, and Niou's grin changed into a smirk. 'So.'

Shishido waited, but nothing came. 'What?' he asked, annoyed.

'That guy has a pretty nice ass,' Niou said nonchalantly.

'W-what?' Shishido spluttered.

'I think I_ will_ enjoy my stay here. Lead the way, Shishido-kun,' Niou said cheerfully.

'Don't try anything, Niou,' Shishido threatened as he left the room, but Niou just followed, whistling a tune that Shishido could vaguely recognise from somewhere, but just vaguely.

xhx

'You're a pretty crazy girl,' Momo informed Ryoma,' to insult Atobe.'

Ryoma shrugged, not caring. He had been told that he had the rest of the day off because of his 'wonderful performance', as Fuji had phrased it. Fuji and Eiji had already run off somewhere (and Ryoma really didn't want to _know_ where, after seeing the looks the two had been giving each other). Oishi, Kaidoh, and Tezuka had all parted, leaving Ryoma with Momo, who was content to talk to somebody who didn't talk back.

Ryoma already knew where he wanted to go. He just barely spotted the blind door that he had been dragged through by Eiji previously, and waved a goodbye to Momo. Quickly snaking through the door, he let out a sigh of complete bliss as he saw the library.

He weaved through the bookshelves that encircled the room in circles that grew larger and larger, searching for the one perfect book that would fulfil his wish for the day. There had to be one, Ryoma was sure. The library just seemed so ideal that it would be impossible for Ryoma_not_ to find a book that he wanted to read.

A historical fiction novel, Ryoma decided, would be the best to complete his day. An English one would be preferred; Ryoma found reading in English, the language he had first learned, much easier for him.

Ryoma climbed up one of the ladders attached to the bookshelf he was currently looking at as swiftly as he could with the frilly dress he was wearing, and pushed gently on his right side, so that the ladder moved slowly across the shelf. He could see all the books at the top of the shelf while on the ladder.

Finally, one book caught his eye. It had a tasteful royal blue binding with silver lettering for the title that just _appealed_ to Ryoma. His left hand reached out for the book, and would have taken it off the shelf.

Had another hand not been holding the book already.

Ryoma turned to see the usually expressionless countenance of Tezuka Kunimitsu, coloured by just a bit of surprise.

'Tezuka-san,' Ryoma greeted his employer, his hand staying obstinately on the book.

Tezuka nodded back. 'Meino-san.' Tezuka slowly took his own hand off the book, and Ryoma pulled the book off the shelf immediately, delight filling his whole body.

'Thank you,' Ryoma said politely, and he slid down the ladder, heading straight for the little alcove with the oriels he had spied the first time he came to the library.

Sitting himself down on the cushioned platform, Ryoma flipped open the book and started to read, escaping from his reality and immersing himself entirely into the universe of the novel.

When he finished the book, he knew that he had to look for the rest of the trilogy. The first book was just _too_ good for him to not continue reading the next two...

Then, Ryoma noticed two novels at his side, bound in the same way as the novel he had just read. He picked the two up. They were the next two volumes of the trilogy...but how had they gotten there?

Looking around the library, Ryoma spotted a bespectacled brunet reading a thick tome silently by himself on one of the various loveseats sprawled amongst the wooden chairs and larger sofas, and found a small, uncommon smile winding his way up his own face when he saw the older man's unguarded expression.

Ryoma picked up the three books and journeyed towards Tezuka, placing the first blue-backed volume on a table close to his employer, and then sat himself down next to Tezuka.

Not wanting to disturb Tezuka while reading, as that was one of the things that Ryoma despised with a passion, Ryoma opened up the second volume, and once again, began to read.

Ryoma must have been sitting there for hours before he finished the last two books, and noticed Tezuka still engrossed in his novel, only two thirds of the way through. Glancing over the brunet's shoulder, Ryoma saw that the book was in a language that he didn't understand.

'German.'

Ryoma started at the voice, and looked to his reading companion. 'What?'

Tezuka repeated himself, clarifying his previous statement. 'The book is in German.'

Ryoma replied blankly, 'Ah.' Unable to resist his curiosity, Ryoma then asked, 'What's it about?'

Tezuka stood up unexpectedly, and headed for the bookshelves. Ryoma's eyes widened; he hadn't meant to scare the man away with his query. And he hadn't even thanked Tezuka for getting him the books - though Ryoma wasn't _completely_ sure that Tezuka was the one who had brought him the last two volumes.

Ryoma sighed. He wasn't even sure of where to _put_ the other two books, since he hadn't been the person to take them off the shelf. He couldn't just leave the books lying on a table instead of where they rightfully belonged... but it'd take a long time to find out where to put the books back.

So lost in his thoughts, Ryoma hadn't perceived Tezuka's return.

'I can put those books back for you.' The man's deep, serious voice startled Ryoma yet again. The blackish-green haired young man looked up to see Tezuka holding two thick tomes instead of one.

'It is in English,' Tezuka said simply, handing one of the books to Ryoma. He took the other three novels from Ryoma, and headed back towards the shelves with the finesse of somebody very familiar with the library.

'Thank you.' The book felt heavy in Ryoma's small, lithe hands. 'Did you get me the other two books?' Ryoma called out.

Tezuka paused and gave the smallest nod.

'Thank you,' Ryoma reiterated, and started reading, sure that Tezuka wouldn't feel offended if he did.

Partway through the book, Ryoma felt the couch move beneath him, and saw that Tezuka had sat back down at the very edge of the loveseat, continuing to read the German book. Tezuka couldn't sit any farther from Ryoma whilst on the same couch if he had tried.

'You don't have to sit all the way over there,' Ryoma said, an amused tone tingeing his voice. 'I won't attack you with a book.'

This garnered a rare smile from Tezuka, literally shocking Ryoma off of his side of the couch.

'Meino-san?' Tezuka asked, his voice tinted just barely with concern. 'Are you all right?'

'My, my, Tezuka, what have you been doing that could shock such a fair lady to the ground?' The lilting voice of Fuji Syusuke broke the silence. 'Your presence is desired by more than one person, I'm afraid. Our prisoner wishes to speak with you.'

Tezuka nodded, standing up, but not before helping Ryoma back up as well. The president of the Seishun Agency left the library swiftly, resulting in Ryoma being left to the mercy of Fuji, which wasn't the most pleasant place to be.

'So. What were you and Tezuka doing all alone in the library?' The way Fuji spoke made Ryoma feel somehow guilty.

'We were just reading,' Ryoma rejoined defensively.

Fuji gave a conceding nod that was nothing like Tezuka's assuring one.

'Either way,' the honey-haired man started, 'your pay. In cash. Kabaji-san brought it over just now.'

Fuji opened up the suitcase he had been holding on the table, and Ryoma's eyes widened.

'That's all mine?'

'Just for the few days that you've started working,' Fuji said cheerfully. 'I suggest that you enjoy it while it lasts. Tezuka has a bad habit of firing secretaries, you know. I wouldn't like for you to be the next one.'

'Also, be up and ready tomorrow morning at five. Momo and Kaidoh will need your help.'

Ryoma sighed. If the next excursion was anything like the one with Fuji and Eiji, Ryoma might as well start writing his will. He could already imagine his epitaph. Meino Ryoko. Gone too soon. We're sorry that we drive so fast.

**x tsuzuku**

Oh, just to make sure it's clear: Atobe thinks that Ryoma's name is Meino Ryoma - not Echizen Ryoma. Which is why he didn't question the Meino, but questioned the Ryoko. XD ...And that's a bit important. XD

Reviews would be positively lovely. -awinchan


	7. Chapter 7

**antiTHESIS**

Ah, thank you for all the reviews last time. We've hit 100 reviews, which is very awesome xD. I was rushing to get this finished for the weekend, so this hasn't been beta-ed. If there are any typos you see, it'd be lovely if you pointed them out!

(edit: Thank you to Cei-chan, The Night Owl is Addicted, and Setsuna-X for catching typos n.n)

**x another puzzle piece is thrown in**

_'Introduce yourself, Keigo, and go play with the nice boy, okay?' Atobe Senior said with a smile, before slipping away into another room._

_'I'm Atobe Keigo,' the little boy said arrogantly, smirking at the shorter boy. He then bowed, and straightened himself, waiting for the other boy to do the same. _

_However, the other boy did no such thing, his attention on the book in his hands. _

_Hey,' the little Atobe iterated, frowning. 'Bow back.' The other boy continued to read, eyes dashing across the pages at an incredible rate. He didn't seem to have heard Atobe at all. _

_'What's your name?' Atobe tried again, his previously good mood deteriorating. He raised one small hand and pushed the shorter boy gently in the shoulder. The boy rocked a bit on his feet, but still read._

_'Hey!' Atobe shouted. 'Look at me!' He waved his arms about dramatically, and the other boy took this moment to look up, eyes appraising with raised eyebrows._

_'What are you doing?' the other boy said blankly, staring. 'Are you stupid?'_

_'No I'm not!' Atobe replied indignantly, putting his hands on his hips. _

_The other boy smirked. 'You look like a girl.'_

_'Well - well - well, so do you!' Atobe shouted back, his voice much louder than it should have been._

_'You shouldn't use other people's retorts,' the boy said matter-of-factly. 'It makes you look stupid.'_

_And there it was again, that infernal word. 'I'm not stupid!' Atobe cried, now pouting. _

_'That makes you look even _more_ like a girl, you know,' the boy said, sounding bored._

_Atobe was about to reply 'no it doesn't!' when an idea came to him. 'What's your name?'_

_Taken aback, the other boy paused before replying, 'Ryoma.'_

_'Well then you're _Ryoko-chan_, girlie boy!' Atobe crowed, sounding quite unsophisticated and rather childish, feeling triumphant._

_Ryoma shrugged. _

_'Hey, Ryoma, we're going!' A man dressed in monkish clothes shouted, and Ryoma stood up obediently, head in his book._

_Atobe Senior, once both the man in monkish clothes and Ryoma were gone, said quietly, no smile on his face at all, 'You were too loud.'_

_All feelings of triumph slipped out of Atobe's grasp, falling through the gaps between his slender fingers like water._

xxx

'Rise and shine, Meino!'

The phrase 'rise and shine', Ryoma decided, was the stupidest phrase he had ever heard. Why on earth would he get up and _shine_? Shine like a light bulb? That really wasn't possible anyway, since he was limited by his rather humanoid body that didn't have an on and off switch. Shine his boots? He _had _no boots to polish, nor did he have any shoe polish to polish boots with. Shine at _what_?

And all of those would require getting out of his warm, fluffy bed - which was the most idiotic idea ever. There was no light coming in from the window, meaning the sun hadn't even risen or started shining yet - so why should he?

Ryoma, nonetheless, sat up, giving a death glare to the offending man beside him. 'Why the _hell_ are you bothering me now?'

'Didn't Fuji tell you that we had to go out today?' Momo said cheerfully, beaming a smile that was too wide for the hour that it was. 'With mamushi over there.'

'Shut up, beanpole!'

Ryoma raised a hand to attempt and stop an incoming argument. 'Where are we going?' he asked wearily. It seemed that he would get no more sleep anyway.

'Going to finalise some plans with Hyoutei today,' Momo explained, running a hand through his spiky black hair. 'Us two, that is.' Momo gestured at him and Kaidoh, scowling. 'You'll be talking with the prisoner.'

'Prisoner?' Ryoma asked, not comprehending. His mind really didn't start working properly until midmorning, and even that was a stretch.

Momo shrugged. 'The silver-haired guy. Fuji seemed to think that you'd get information out of him, so you'll be coming with us.'

'And clothes are on your computer desk in the other room, Meino,' Momo added. 'Me and mamushi will wait outside.'

'Don't call me mamushi, beanpole!'

The two bickered their way out, and Ryoma headed for the computer table, to find a small pile of frills and sheer fabric. He picked the article up, and gaped. They _had_ to be kidding.

A note fluttered to the ground when Ryoma picked up the dress. The note was written on flowery paper - scented as well, which Ryoma found out after sniffing it - with elegant calligraphy.

_Ryoko-chan,_

_I think this beautiful tea gown suits you, and is perfectly apt for wearing to the Hyoutei mansion, considering the fact that you do seem to know Atobe rather intimately. It was quite hard to get this tea gown - not many are made in this style any more, though I can't begin to imagine why._

_There should be a clip for your hair as well on your desk that would go perfectly with your periwinkle dress._

_You will be talking with Niou Masaharu, which is the name of our silver-haired vigilante. It would be wonderfully wonderful if you got him to speak more about himself. Think of it as a date, okay? One you're getting paid to follow through with._

_Love, Fuji _

Following the words 'Love, Fuji' (the 'Love' was surrounded by little pink marker hearts) were various combinations of punctuation marks that Ryoma couldn't figure out. What the hell were two carets separated by an underscore supposed to mean anyway?

Ryoma looked to the desk, and indeed there was a clip. If Ryoma hadn't known it was a clip, he would have thought it was a really ornate decoration for hanging on the wall or something like that, because it had to be the size of his _hand_. It looked like a butterfly with sparkling blue wings. Ryoma picked up the clip, which was surprisingly light. The wings fluttered, on springs that attached it to the clip butterfly's body.

Clipping it onto his hair, thus making it look like a mammoth of a butterfly had perched on his head, he turned back to the mass of white lace and periwinkle material. It looked more like a particularly lacy pillow than a dress. Nevertheless, Ryoma slipped it on with the ease of one who had often worn too elaborate dresses, and headed out.

xhx

Shishido was now despairing.

He wasn't despairing for his life, now, but rather, for Choutarou's life.

To be more specific, Shishido was desponding for Choutarou's _innocence_.

'Leave him the hell alone, Niou!' Shishido whispered angrily, exasperated. Why couldn't he ever have the upper hand? Even when his opponent was handcuffed? Shishido seemed doomed to forever be the underdog, with Atobe and Niou around him almost constantly. He couldn't even ask Choutarou for help, now that Niou seemed determined to molest poor Choutarou.

Niou smirked at him, his silver hair still in impeccable spikes despite having had his hands chained since the previous day. Shishido's own hair was particularly unruly - it was all Atobe's fault for not letting him wear a cap indoors. 'It's not proper to look so horrendous in front of a guest,' Atobe had said, going on and on about manners and etiquette and unimportant things like that - never mind that it was all bullshit and pointless, considering the way that his _guest_ was acting.

'I can't help it if Chou-kun's a nice guy,' Niou said casually, waving a goodbye to the retreating back of the tall man walking away.

'Don't call him Chou-kun!' Shishido grumbled, hands balled up into fists that would never meet their target, because, once again, of Atobe. 'And under no circumstances are you to harm the guest,' Atobe had also said. Atobe and his _stupid_ rules and his _stupid_ smirk and his _stupid_ personality.

Niou's smirk was like a beacon, lighting up the room with snark and impoliteness too bright for Shishido's eyes. 'But he's _cute_, isn't he?' Niou raised his eyebrows. If Shishido could only wipe that infuriating smirk off of his face...

'I think it's about time for some breakfast,' Niou said, yawning. 'I'd like some slightly toasted bread, so that the bread is only a bit crisp, an omelette with ham and mozzarella cheese - and not the processed kind -, and black coffee, but if the coffee here is anything like the service, I'll just have spring water.' He said all of that in one long breath, but didn't rush the words. He had to have been some pearl diver in some previous life to have been able to talk so much without _breathing_. Or maybe he had just taken the 101 Ways to Annoy Shishido Ryou course.

Scowling, Shishido started to reply, 'What do you think this is, a hotel?' but was cut off by a maid. Ah. The one from yesterday.

'You really have no taste at all, do you,' the girl said, scowling. Her hair was pinned up elaborately with a huge ... insect. It was rather creepy.

Niou smiled, which was quite unnerving. 'Ah. Fuji's girl. Let's eat breakfast, shall we? Shishido will be serving.'

The girl turned an appraising eye to Shishido, making him feel like he was the shorter person in the equation. 'I like Japanese-styled breakfast.'

'I'm not a servant!' Shishido exploded.

The girl shrugged, looking quite unfeminine with the smirk - which matched Niou's and Atobe's. What the hell was going on? Were they all related? 'Really,' she said flatly, giving him another glance. 'I never would have guessed.'

And with that, the two walked away, the girl saying without looking back, 'And I'd like gyokuro with that, from Yame.'

Did _everybody_ Shishido talked to have to be obscenely condescending? Shishido sighed, and headed for the kitchens. He'd have to ask the chef to start cooking.

xhx

Ryoma was frowning as he stared deep into his tea. It didn't _look _like gyokuro, but he might have just been mistaken... He took a sip. No, it was _definitely_ not gyokuro.

'What the _fuck_ is this supposed to be?' he said, glaring at Shishido, the one who had brought him the atrocity of a drink in a beautiful Japanese teacup that it had no right to be in. 'It's not even the right colour!'

Shishido shrugged, looking like he didn't care that he had brought tea of less than mediocre quality.

'At least the food is good,' Ryoma said grudgingly, looking back to his miso soup. 'But everything is _ruined_ because of this tea!'

'Ah, don't you think you're being a _little_ melodramatic, Ryo-ko-chan?' Niou interrupted, speaking in a singsong voice. If Ryoma wasn't too busy fuming at Shishido, he would have kicked him.

Ignoring Niou's comment, he continued, 'And this cup.' Ryoma tapped the teacup to prove his point. 'It's way too cold for gyokuro, if this tea actually _is_ that.' Ryoma gave a scathing glare to the tea, willing it to wither under his glower. 'It tastes _wrong_. Did you not use a teapot to brew this? ... This isn't _instant tea_, is it?' Ryoma put a hand to his mouth, feeling rather faint. 'I think I might have just drunk instant tea, oh my _fucking-_'

'Oh, stop being such a drama queen. No wonder you had been Atobe-_sama_'s secretary,' Niou said, rolling his eyes. 'I think my dilemma is much more important. It's hard to eat when one's hands are handcuffed behind one's back.'

'I'd rather have my hands handcuffed behind my back if it meant that I wouldn't have had to drink this... this thing,' Ryoma said angrily.

Niou shrugged. 'Either way, this all proves that Hyoutei sucks, I think. No manners whatsoever. Giving people food without any way to eat it, trying to pass off instant tea as _actual_ tea...'

Ryoma nodded, glaring at Shishido once again, who actually did wither a bit. 'I think I'd rather go to Rikkai or whatever, even if I _was _a prisoner. At least I wouldn't feel like barfing.'

'Oh, I wouldn't know about that,' the silver-haired man said with a chuckle.

Ryoma really didn't care about what Niou was insinuating at, choosing instead to eat the _decent_ parts of his meal. He ate a bit of the grilled fish, which was delectable. If only there was green tea to go with it.

'You know, Shishido, wouldn't it be amazing if I could actually eat the food in front of me?' Niou said, one eyebrow raised.

Shishido snapped back, 'You don't need hands to eat, do you? Can't the two of you just shut up?'

'After you get rid off these handcuffs, yes!' Niou snarked, at the same time that Ryoma muttered, 'If I had actual tea, then maybe I would.'

Shishido left the room in a huff, letting Niou breathe a sigh of relief. 'Finally. I thought we'd never be rid of him.'

'Huh?' Ryoma asked dumbly.

Niou put his elbows on the table, one hand propping up his head while the other placed a pair of handcuffs on the table. 'Now we can properly enjoy ourselves. Shall we?'

'... I thought you were handcuffed,' Ryoma said, staring at Niou's bare arms.

Niou shrugged elegantly, pulling off the look of an unconcerned person who was only staying where he was for his own amusement. 'As if a pair of mere handcuffs could keep in a _marksman from Rikkai_. Even a pair from your _boyfriend_.'

'He's not my boyfriend,' Ryoma responded immediately.

Niou nodded. 'I figured as much. What kind of boyfriend would send his lover into the lion's den?' He then intertwined his fingers, cocking his head slightly to the right. He looked the image of an interested listener. 'Well, let's talk. Twenty questions, answered with only yes or no, okay? We'll take turns.'

'...And you won't lie?' Ryoma scoffed.

Niou smiled, making him look like a cat that had just found his favourite mouse to play with. 'You'll just have to trust me.'

'Trust you,' Ryoma reiterated incredulously. 'Weren't you the one who shot me with that tranquilliser dart?'

'But that dart was intended for somebody else.' Niou waved that fact away as if Ryoma's tranquillisation was inconsequential. 'You're still alive, aren't you? You should be glad that you got the chance to be shot by such a monumental weapon. These haven't even be released to the military yet; one of our own developed it.'

'I should be glad that I had been _shot_ with a dart,' Ryoma replied in the same incredulous tone, staring at Niou as if he was crazy.

Niou stated simply, 'Yes.' Then he clapped his hands together. 'Let's get on with it, shall we? Let's start with introductions. Are you really only a secretary at Seishun Agency?'

Ryoma opened his mouth to say 'yes', but decided that he might just see if he could lie or not. 'No-'

And then there was the loudest screeching noise that he had ever heard, a cacophony of fingers scratching blackboards, cats yowling, and metal clanging against bone.

After a few seconds, Niou said, rather unnecessarily, in Ryoma's opinion, '...And that means that you've lied. Well, that was question one for me. Your turn.'

'Are you really a marksman for Rikkai?' Ryoma asked.

'Yes,' Niou replied immediately. There was no racket.

A marksman. Did those actually exist then? Was this silver-haired man some sort of assassin?

'Actually, I'm not,' Niou then added. And there was still no racket.

'So which is it?' Ryoma demanded. 'How come your lie detector isn't going off?'

Niou let out a full-fledged bout of laughter. 'Lie detector? I'm sorry, this isn't a movie.' Niou pulled out a small box with a single red button on it. He pushed it, and the cacophony started again. He pushed it once more, and the cacophony ceased.

'...So that was all just a joke?'

'Yeah.'

It was going to be a long nineteen more questions each.

'Well, let the games begin,' Niou said, stretching his hands behind his back nonchalantly. 'I'll let you have the first _actual_ question. The other two were just to prove my point.'

'Which is?' Ryoma demanded.

'That I can do whatever the hell I want, regardless of where I am.' Niou enunciated the next part exceptionally clearly. 'And that Rikkai is prepared for whatever is being planned by Seishun and Hyoutei.'

xxx

In a minimalistic room with only a single, oddly shaped chair, a brunet frowned, taking the pair of headphones of his ears. There had been no need for him to listen, since all was being recorded anyway and sent by radio waves to both Hyoutei and Seishun, but he had wanted to hear the conversation before anybody else.

How had Rikkai known? They _had_ to be the ones responsible for interfering with the transmission - the static wouldn't have just _conveniently_ ended with Niou saying that Rikkai was prepared for what Seishun and Hyoutei could throw at them. And then the static had started again! The static had to be because of Rikkai... but had had they known? Had they sent Niou on purpose? Was the capture all a façade?

The brunet _hated _being outwitted, and he would understand the enigma that was Niou Masaharu before he was taken care of, or he wouldn't be Fuji Syusuke, espionage agent extraordinaire.

'Syuuuuu-kun!' The ecstatic voice of Eiji shouted from outside the room. 'Breakfast's ready nya!'

Fuji stood up, placing an appropriate smile for meeting his lover on his face. 'Coming, Eijiko,' he said cheerfully, and stepped out the door, pushing all thoughts of Niou to the back of his mind, leaving him to Meino Ryoko - another person he would have to solve.

xxx

'Oh. I think our session is done for today.'

'I've still got four questions left,' Ryoma said, frowning, making Niou grin.

'If you're _that_ desperate for company-'

'Shut up,' Ryoma said immediately. 'And you better slip those handcuffs back on.'

'Can do, can do.' Niou contorted his fingers in a way that no person should have been able to do and slipped the handcuffs back onto both hands behind his back. 'I look forward to speaking with you again.' He stood up and headed for the door.

Then Niou added something offhandedly. 'It was nice to see you, Echizen Ryoma.'

And then Niou was gone, leaving Ryoma completely and utterly befuddled as to what the _hell_ was going on. His mind was focussed on the two words that Niou had spoken, even as Kaidoh and Momo shepherded him back to Seishun Agency's headquarters.

How had Niou known?

There was something _mysterious_ about Niou, and this whole business with Rikkai. Who were Rikkai, really? And what did Hyoutei want with them? What was Seishun Agency actually, dealing with people like marksmen and major conglomerates? Ryoma had somehow fallen straight into this Bermuda triangle, and it seemed that he had a part in it as well.

Ryoma only worried that he would never get back out.

**x tsuzuku**

And there goes another chapter, with another mystery added to the mix. I'm scared that at this rate there'll be one I forget to explain xD

But -anyway-. Idyllic Dystopia is coming to a close, probably next week, and a new story will be posted after that. The story to be posted is either a supernatural rather twisted Thrill Pair (Fuji x Ryoma), a Sweet Pair (Marui x Jirou) in the humour category, or an angsty mix between FujiRyo, EijiRyo, and FujiEiji. Which would you like to read the most? n.n. Feel free to suggest any of the three in a review XD.

Reviews would be awesome. -awinchan


	8. Chapter 8

**antiTHESIS**

Another chapter! I hope this is satisfactory and not rushed - I've had a very busy week and am worried that it shows in the writing XD

Thank you for all the reviews - they were what guilt-tripped me into writing this chapter this week and not two weeks later, despite the fact that I should be working XD

**x the demons are let loose**

'_Is dad out again tonight?' Ryoma said to his mother, frowning. He had wanted to get his dad to buy him a few books._

_Rinko nodded, a small smile on her face. 'Now, you know that your father is a very busy man. He'll be back by next week, definitely.'_

_'But I want more books!' Ryoma whined, pouting, even though he knew that his mother wouldn't cave into it. His mother was the one with the power in the family, unlike his father, who would give into whatever Ryoma wanted if he bugged him enough._

_'You can wait until your father comes back then,' Rinko said simply. 'Why don't you go read some of your old books?'_

_'I don't want to,' Ryoma said stubbornly. It wasn't fair that his dad always had to work - and Ryoma didn't even know what his father did for a job! Whenever Ryoma asked his dad, his father would say things like 'I'm a professional gypsy' or 'I'm a monk for a living', ridiculous suggestions like that._

_Rinko thought for a second, and then suggested, 'I've got some books that you haven't read in the kitchen, I think. Do you want to read books about tea?'_

_Ryoma let a grin grow on his face. 'Sure!' he said happily. Any new reading material was good reading material, and all thoughts of his father's job flew out of his mind when his mother gave him a veritable tome of tea information._

xrx

'It's interesting, isn't it?'

It was amazing how Yukimura could make such a little deal out of anything, Akaya thought.

'Interesting?' Akaya said simply, his mouth gaping. 'Niou sends all this-'

'You mean Niou-_senpai_, Akaya-kun,' Yukimura said admonishingly, smiling at Akaya as if he was a silly little toddler who had just asked if he could fly.

'Niou-_senpai_,' Akaya relented, though Niou sure as hell didn't deserve his respect. 'But how did he do it? I thought you told him to jam all the radio waves, right? And what was all that about this Echizen kid? I thought that her name was Meino Ryoko.'

Yukimura laughed, still acting as if Akaya was some idiotic little kid - which he wasn't. 'We have means of communication outside of radio waves, Akaya-kun. Do you think I would send my best marksman without ample equipment?'

Akaya resisted from saying that Niou was the _only_ marksman at Rikkai. Nobody else could shoot for beans - though Yukimura could probably do anything if he wanted to, just 'cause he was Yukimura. He waited for Yukimura to explain about Ryoko, but he didn't.

'And if this girl is Echizen - that makes no sense!' Akaya pressed, 'I mean, I thought the whole line was killed off, right?'

'I think that you should be going, Akaya-kun. I'm sure that Hiroshi would like your company now. He's probably grumpy that Niou got to go on leave while he didn't,' Yukimura said cheerfully, and Akaya knew that he was to get no more information. He'd just have to bug Marui about it.

'But do remember to go play with Bunta later, okay?' Yukimura said serenely. 'Bunta's been getting restless lately with nothing to do, so the two of you can go play outside.'

Akaya beamed. 'Thanks, Mura-shachou(1),' and he bounced off in search of Yagyuu.

Yukimura let an unguarded smile fall onto his face the moment Akaya closed the door behind him. This newest development was sure to throw Hyoutei off course. He could only hope that Niou could point Seishun in the right direction - and that _Ryoko-chan_ would be able to figure everything out.

xxx

After a few days of mad cleaning (and getting taught by Oishi-mama to clean properly), Ryoma had thought that _anything_ would be better than all the chores that he had been forced to do. But presently, Ryoma would have rather been anywhere but where he was currently. Ryoma felt like he was being sandwiched between one hell and another hell, with him being stuck in limbo with nowhere to go except the two hells - and he couldn't decide which was the lesser of the two evils.

The three of them sat at a table, with Fuji on one end, Niou on the other end, and Ryoma placed firmly in the middle, as if he was a mediator - and Ryoma had an unpleasant feeling that he was. Fuji was not smiling at all while Niou was smirking, but Fuji looked somehow murderous with his sharp blue eyes while Niou looked as relaxed as if he was on vacation. Ryoma didn't know how Niou did it - Ryoma would certainly have shrunk a few centimetres - not that he had any to spare - if Fuji was glaring at him the way that he was glaring at Niou.

Ryoma had so many questions to ask Niou, but he couldn't ask them with Fuji there. For instance, he wanted to know how Niou had found out Ryoma's real name. He had abandoned his family name for so long, and then Niou had _had_ to go and dig it back up, bringing back all the memories with it. He had wanted to forget it all, and now it had all flooded back, the dam that had been holding back his nightmares broken down by Niou's oh-so-casual comment. 'It was nice to see you, Echizen Ryoma.' He had never wanted to hear that name again.

'Well, Ryoko-chan tells me you still owe her four answers,' Fuji said cordially, smiling and hiding his blue eyes behind eyelids. Ryoma let out a quiet sigh of relief.

'Yeah,' Niou replied carelessly. 'But that doesn't explain why you're here, Fuji-kun.' The honorific was added casually, as if Niou was intentionally trying to irk Fuji.

Fuji, however, gave no comment on Niou's diminutive treatment of him. 'I wanted to come here and talk with you myself, Niou-kun, since Ryoko-chan's memory of her meeting with you was not extremely complete.' He gave Niou a charming smile. 'Would you mind if I asked a few questions?'

Niou paused, and then said, shrugging, 'Why not?' The smirk on his face seemed immovable. He fiddled with one of his earrings. 'But you will have to turn off that recording device you have on you, Fuji-kun. I'd like to keep our conversation private if I can.'

Fuji smiled even wider. 'Oh, of course.' He ripped the second button off of his white dress shirt and snapped it in half easily with one hand, making the button spark and revealing its hi-tech insides. 'Better now?'

'Indeed,' Niou said, mimicking Fuji's smiling. They were quite the scary pair. 'But can we start later? I would like some refreshments.'

Niou turned to Ryoma, the smirk back in place. 'Don't worry. I've asked dearest Ryou-kun to bring us some proper tea. Chou-kun is making it himself.'

A voice thundered from outside, its owner bursting through the door. 'Don't call me Ryou-kun!'

'And here he arrives,' Niou said, stating the obvious as Shishido glared at the three at the table, bringing in a platter of scones and three cups of tea.

'And don't you dare call him Chou-kun!' Shishido continued to yell. 'Choutarou doesn't need to be bothered by the likes of you!'

'The likes of me?' Niou asked, raising an eyebrow. 'I wouldn't have bothered him had I never been brought to this place, but that really can't be helped, can it?'

'Shishido-san, what are you doing?' A new voice joined in. Choutarou entered the room as well, frowning just slightly. 'Niou-san is our guest, so you shouldn't be so rude.'

Shishido grumbled out a 'sorry' while Ryoma smirked. Shishido placed the platter onto the table, and said with only the slightest tinge of annoyance, 'You better be thankful.'

'Whipped,' Ryoma muttered quietly, insolent golden eyes staring at Shishido. Shishido opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when Choutarou, who hadn't heard what Ryoma said, gave him a warning look.

Niou nodded his agreement. Shishido opened his mouth again and then just left the room to avoid anything that would anger Choutarou.

'Well. Let's get down to business, shall we?' Niou sighed, staring at the food. 'It is such trouble to eat when one's hands are shackled, don't you think, Ryoko-chan?'

Ryoma nodded absentmindedly, taking a cup of tea. He sniffed it. Earl Grey. It would have to do... at least it went well with scones. He took a sip. It wasn't bad, surprisingly. He'd have to thank 'Chou-kun' later.

'I would so like to have some scones,' Niou said with a sigh. 'Would you mind feeding me, Ryoko-chan?'

Ryoma stared at the silver-haired prisoner incredulously. 'Are you crazy?'

'Now, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji reproved, 'be more polite. It wouldn't be kind of you to eat whilst Niou-kun is incapable of it himself, would it?'

Ryoma really didn't care about politeness. 'Feed him yourself then,' Ryoma rejoined, taking a scone and chomping down on it purposefully. For a few seconds the only sound in the room was the sound of Ryoma's chewing.

'I'll just have to tell Tezuka about how inept you are, not even competent enough to, first of all, remember one conversation, and second of all, humour a guest,' Fuji said cheerfully. 'Not exactly the most-'

'Fine, fine!' Ryoma said angrily, picking up a scone. He stuffed it into Niou's mouth, catching Niou unawares. 'Happy?'

Niou coughed a bit, but then swallowed. 'I'd like some tea with that as well, Ryoko-chan,' he said, grinning. 'But I wouldn't like it splashed on my face.'

Ryoma felt quite like telling Niou to take his hands out of his handcuffs and doing it himself, but he had a feeling that Niou would just stare at him blankly like Ryoma was an idiot. Grumbling incoherently, he picked up another cup of Earl Grey and placed it in front of Niou. 'I am not holding this in front of your mouth just so you can drink.'

'Don't like Earl Grey much anyway,' Niou said uncaringly. 'Well, I think it's Ryoko-chan's - and thus your turn, Fuji-kun, to ask questions.'

'I only have one,' Fuji said, his cerulean orbs at full power as they watched Niou. 'Were you or were you not the one to shoot the police chief's aide?'

Niou halted, a slow smile creeping onto his face. 'Oh, I remember the chief. Mizuki Hajime, was it? Quite useless, really, and his aide even _more_ so, always following the chief around like a sick little-'

'Don't you say anything bad about him,' Fuji said in a low, menacing voice. 'Don't you dare.'

'I can't quite remember his name though,' Niou said thoughtfully. '...Fuji Yuuta, was it? Quite an unfortunate death, wasn't it?' The smile on his face seemed wrong, somehow. 'I heard that the body was found in the older brother's apartment, and that the older brother faced an _awful_ inquiry about it all. People had thought _he _was the murderer!' Niou laughed. 'Rather unpleasant. Died of a stab wound with this knife with the most _interesting_ insignia on it, I've heard people whisper. A very pretty dagger with the letter 'R' on it. Funny indeed.'

Niou took one hand and placed it in his pocket. Fuji didn't even ask why Niou's hand wasn't handcuffed, so focussed on watching Niou. Niou then pulled out his hand, which now had something in it that should have been confiscated immediately after his imprisoning.

'A dagger that looked like this, perhaps, Fuji-onii-chan?' Niou said, twirling a dagger in his hand.

Fuji stood up, whipping a pistol out, revealing its sleek black barrel. He raised it and pointed it straight at Niou. 'Did you kill him?' he demanded. 'Answer me!'

'There are many different kinds of killing, Fuji-kun,' Niou said nonchalantly, as if a gun wasn't pointed straight at him. He stood up as well, walking a bit closer to Fuji, whose pistol stayed pointed at Niou. 'There is something like mental murder, which drives a person to insanity, something worse than death. An example would be if an older brother constantly eclipsed his younger brother in everything that he did, making his younger brother's attempts at catching the spotlight more pitiful and futile each time-'

'Shut up!' Fuji said, his finger in a precarious position, resting on the trigger. His blue eyes were much less beautiful now, wrought with a deeper shade of agony. 'Just shut up!'

'Now wait a second here!' Ryoma said, fearful. He stood between the two.

'Out of my way, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji said simply, angry eyes never leaving Niou's face. 'I don't want to shoot you by accident.'

'We wouldn't want that', Niou added, sidestepping agilely so Ryoma was no longer between them. 'I thought you wanted me to answer you,' Niou said to Fuji, his eyes mocking. 'Thought that you wanted to know the truth, Fuji-kun? The truth hurts. Your little brother knew that.'

Fuji pulled the trigger. Ryoma's body moved on its own. A gunshot echoed throughout the room.

Ryoma fell down, pain blossoming in his right shoulder in the same way that the blood was, decorating his white lacy dress with a blooming flower of red.

xxx

It was very dark. Ryoma would have said it was pitch black, but it wasn't. There was a single blue glow in the room that Ryoma could see faintly even with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes.

The source of the blue light was a laptop on a desk. It illuminated the grave face of the user, who was not looking at the screen at all, but at Ryoma.

'Meino-san.'

It was Tezuka, who looked like he hadn't slept for a long while.

'You're awake.'

Ryoma nodded. He tried to sit up, using his right hand to prop himself up, but then a sudden shooting pain sprouted in his right shoulder, which, when he looked at it, he realised was bandaged.

'You've made a habit of getting shot, haven't you?' Tezuka said, still looking at Ryoma.

'Well, _sorry_ for trying to stop somebody from getting killed,' Ryoma said irritably.

'...Ah.'

Tezuka said nothing more, standing up, picking up his laptop as well. 'I am glad that you are well, Meino-san.' And then he left the room, taking away Ryoma's only light source.

There was a quiet chuckle from outside the room. Ryoma immediately turned to glare at the perpetrator, though the glare died as he saw whom it was when the person behind the chuckle flipped on the lights.

'...Fuji-san.'

Fuji smiled. 'Good job, Ryoko-chan. You had just effectively shot down Tezuka's attempt at cheering you up.'

Fuji's confusing message threw all fear of Fuji out of Ryoma's mind. 'Huh?' he asked dumbly.

'He was trying to make a _joke_, Ryoko-chan, when he had commented about your getting shot,' Fuji explained patiently. 'Not insult you.'

Ryoma blinked. And blinked again. 'Oh.'

Fuji chuckled again. 'The two of you make for quite the interesting pair. Both of you have no conversational skills, rarely smile, though one just doesn't show emotion while the other smirks, are just emotionally deficient in general-'

'Fuji-san, what are you doing here?' Ryoma said guardedly, suddenly remembering that it was Fuji who had injured his shoulder.

'You needn't have jumped in the way, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji said in a relaxed tone. 'I wouldn't have hit Niou-kun anyway. He didn't get to be Rikkai's marksman because he had slow reflexes, you know.'

Ryoma frowned. 'But what if he hadn't?'

'Then I would have done the world a favour,' Fuji said promptly, as if killing were nothing to him. 'Niou Masaharu is a menace to society, as is the rest of Rikkai.'

'What _is_ Rikkai?' Ryoma said angrily, his fuse having finally burnt out. 'And Seishun and Hyoutei? I know nothing about what's happening here. I get tranquillised, dragged away, shot... and I don't even know why! What the fuck is wrong with all of you people? You talk about all these crazy things as if they were normal! Prisoners, marksman, shootings... Who the hell are you?'

Fuji stared at Ryoma seriously. 'You know that the minute you know everything, Ryoko-chan, there will be no going back.'

Ryoma paused. Did he really want to know? Knowing would mean that he would be bound to the mystery forever, and there would be no returning to being simply Meino Ryoma, normal man with a normal life. Did he want to be a part of this conundrum?

'Tell me,' Ryoma said frankly. He had to know. It wasn't just a matter of curiosity; Ryoma felt like he was already bound to this through something not of his own doing. If Ryoma believed in destiny, this would be it.

Fuji nodded. 'Fine.'

Fuji continued, 'This all leads back to one man.' Ryoma waited with bated breath, wondering whom this man could be and what he had to do with everything.

'Echizen Nanjiroh.'

And all that Ryoma had known about anything shattered as his world was thrown, once again, into complete disarray.

**x tsuzuku **

(1) -shachou means president (of a company).

Do you know how much I wanted to make Fuji say that they were physics-defying tennis players? And how much I wanted to replace 'Echizen Nanjiroh' with 'Chuck Norris'? It was only the promise of being pelted with tomatoes by angry readers that stopped me. XD

Reviews would be absolutely, perfectly lovely. -awinchan


	9. Chapter 9

**antiTHESIS**

This chapter is totally dedicated to Cei-chan, who caught a plot hole in one of the earlier chapters... Thank you so much XD.

I'm not too pleased with this chapter though. xD I was rushing it to get it out this weekend, and this will probably be revised after.

This has not been beta-ed and is thus fraught with mistakes. The pointing out of mistakes in reviews would be perfectly lovely. (revised 2008.4.30 - thank you, Cei-chan, for catching another plot hole XD This is what I get for rushing.)

**x not grass but flowers on the other side**

_Ryoma, despite being a book-loving, quiet, and rather unsociable boy, still held onto some of the more sexist opinions of his classmates._

_'Jewellery is for girls,' he said frankly, frowning at his father, who was trying to explain why he needed to go get a necklace. _

_Nanjiroh ruffled his son's hair. 'Are you saying I'm a girl?' _

_'No,' Ryoma said in the same frank tone. 'Girls don't look at porn magazines.'_

_This time, Nanjiroh whacked the young boy on the head. 'You little brat. This is what I get for telling you about my work, like your mom told me to. You could at least act grateful.'_

_'It's not just jewellery,' Nanjiroh added. 'It's like, a secret treasure chest.'_

_'With girly jewels?' Ryoma said snarkily. _

_Nanjiroh sighed. Why did he even bother? 'Shut up or I'll make you wear it for me.'_

_Ryoma just harrumphed and decided to start reading again._

_Nanjiroh stared at his silent son, and thought to himself, his fingers rubbing the wooden pendant that he hadn't yet paid for, that he could never endanger his son with something as dangerous as his secret._

xxx

Echizen Nanjiroh.

It couldn't be _true_, could it?

Ryoma had just put the past behind him, buried all the deep dark mysteries in memories long forgotten - and now the name came back up in the most unexpected of circumstances. Echizen Nanjiroh. His father.

Ryoma opened his mouth to speak, to ask something like 'are you joking?' or 'you're kidding, right?' but his throat wasn't obliging and no sound came out.

It made no sense. How could this group of mentally unstable individuals be connected to his father? Where was the link? What had his father been doing for a living, if he had somehow known people like his employer? It hurt Ryoma to think that he really hadn't known his father at all.

He had asked about his father's job so many times before, always answered by vague, evasive replies. And at some time, he had given up asking all together.

Ryoma had put all that out of his mind - and now he was once again, in the midst of it all.

'Ryoko-chan?' Fuji prompted.

'No,' Ryoma finally uttered, and Fuji, for once, looked perplexed.

'No?' Fuji asked, frowning.

'This can't be happening,' Ryoma said blankly. It couldn't. He suddenly saw all the scenes from that day flashing by, gunshot after gunshot, blood and more blood. The pistol in his two small hands, the trigger that had moved of its own accord, the bullet that had flown straight at its unintended target.

'Ryoko-chan, are you all right?' Fuji asked, a tinge of concern in his voice. 'You didn't injure your head, did you?'

Ryoma shook his head mutely.

'I think we should continue this conversation on another day,' Fuji said resolutely. 'We can't have the only secretary that Tezuka's liked be harmed, could we?'

And as Fuji left the room, he turned to look back at Ryoma, whose eyes were already closed in sleep.

_'I don't have it.' _

_His father's voice had sounded so confident, the smirk on his face evident. _

_The man with the nice smile and the grey hair had been there, but he didn't sound nearly as friendly. _

_'We all know that you do have it. It's only a matter of where.'_

_His own hands were clutching his book tightly, and he couldn't help but let out a yelp at how _threatening _the man had sounded. _

_Two pairs of eyes turned to him. A few footsteps, and then the book was snatched out of his hands._

_'Well, well, well. What do we have here?'_

Ryoma woke, body cold despite being underneath warm covers. It was the dream again - though something that had happened could hardly be called a dream. He hadn't had it for a while, but it had come back, probably because of the memory dredging that Fuji's words had caused.

He never did get through the whole dream, always stopping at predetermined points. Even his subconscious thoughts didn't want to go back to the event that had altered everything.

Pulling his hands out from under the blanket, he stared at them, the two hands that had had a vital part in the acting out of the event.

'Ah, Meino-san?'

Ryoma turned to look at a very worried Oishi. 'Are you okay? Fuji said that you were a little off so I came to check up on you. I hope you're fine. Fuji doesn't usually shoot other employees, and he's actually really sorry, I'm sure, but just doesn't want to say it. Is you shoulder fine? It probably won't be damaged or anything because Tezuka treated it-'

'Wait,' Ryoma said, stopping Oishi's onslaught of words. 'Tezuka treated it?'

'Yes,' Oishi replied, face a pale pink. 'After attending your shoulder, he refused to let me help him with treating you. He has a bit of expertise with treating arms and things like that, so-'

'Wait,' Ryoma repeated. He looked at himself. He was wearing something rather like a hospital gown that he was _very_ sure he hadn't been wearing before. 'Did Tezuka... Was he the one to...'

Here, Oishi's face turned red. 'He had to take you out of your dress, of course, because it had your blood all over it and he wouldn't have been able to see your shoulder otherwise, and it wouldn't be good...' Oishi's voice continued to ramble, but Ryoma's mind only comprehended one thing.

Tezuka knew.

Somehow, that seemed more devastating than anything else.

xrx

'So I trust that everything was executed perfectly, Niou-kun?'

'Of course.' Niou's drawl filled the room. 'Did you expect anything less, Yukimura?'

Yukimura let out a chuckle. 'No, of course not. And Echizen Ryoma?'

'I'm sure that Tezuka's found out about him now.' There was a telltale smirk in Niou's words. 'Because the shoulder injury would be a bit too close for comfort, I'm sure.'

'Fuji Syusuke then?'

This time, Niou's voice was a bit hesitant. 'I don't know if I crossed the line or not with him. Fuji bottles up his emotions, but he let them all out when I mentioned his brother.'

'I suppose it all just helped to make your story more believable?' Yukimura's fingers were interlocked, his head resting on them, lost in thought. 'I hope that you weren't too crass, Niou.'

Niou snorted. 'I was a perfect gentleman, of course. I'm always polite.'

Yukimura let out a quiet laugh before continuing in a more serious tone. 'I think that Hyoutei's pulled the strings long enough. Bring a puppet home with you, okay? A fun one, though.'

'A puppet?' Niou said thoughtfully, and then, even through the speaker, Yukimura could sense trickery emanating. 'I've got just the one. And you know what? I'll try and take back what's rightfully yours. See you in a day or two then, Yukimura.'

In replacement of Niou's voice, static started.

Wait just a bit longer, Yukimura thought, staring out the large window in the general direction of a place with very eccentric interior decorating and one very unwilling prisoner. It won't be long before we get you out.

Yukimura's mouth opened to mouth one name silently.

Sanada.

xrx

Walking through the halls in strange and puffy green slippers, Ryoma felt very disoriented.

He needed to find two people.

Fuji and Tezuka.

Fuji, because Ryoma _needed_ to know what the hell was going on. How was his father related to all of this, organisations that kidnapped and shot people and possibly even murdered? Why? Ryoma had an ominous feeling that he wouldn't enjoy the explanation he was given, but he had to know.

He just _had _to.

Tezuka. Tezuka, who now definitely knew that he was not of the female sex. Tezuka, who was his employer. Tezuka, who had the power to fire him.

Also, Tezuka, who had been the one to dress him and had seen him almost naked.

Ryoma flushed at the thought, and immediately berated himself afterward. What the hell was he thinking? He should at least find him and thank Tezuka for treating his shoulder, and then fall to whining if needed to keep his job.

He also had a strange belief that it was safer within the Seishun Agency than outside of it.

He continued trekking through the halls, and soon found himself at the library again. Stepping in, he felt strangely calm at the sight of all the books surrounding him.

'Meino-san?'

Damn. He didn't feel so calm any more.

'Tezuka,' Ryoma acknowledged, and the two stood in silence for a good minute before Ryoma spoke up again. 'You know.' It was a simple statement, not a question.

Tezuka nodded.

'What are you going to do now?' Ryoma said, a betraying tremor in his voice.

'I'm afraid that we'll have to keep you imprisoned until we are sure that you are not a spy,' Tezuka said, voice low. 'It is entirely my fault that I didn't enquire into this further before your employment.'

Ryoma nodded, throat dry.

'You'll stay here under watch at all times until we are sure of your loyalties.'

What loyalties, Ryoma wanted to scream. He wasn't even sure of what sides were fighting. Instead, he nodded dully.

Tezuka looked rather unimpressed, and even a bit disappointed. Or perhaps Ryoma was imagining it, since Tezuka was frowning as he always did. 'I will not inform the others of your identity, as you probably have a reason to keep it hidden.'

'Fuji knows,' Ryoma blurted out, and Tezuka's frown seemed to grow.

'Then I'll have Fuji be your questioner.'

'Call for me, did you, Tezuka?'

Fuji's habit of popping up uncannily was really not good for Ryoma, who let out a gasp.

'I'll escort our lady here to her new quarters then,' Fuji said cheerfully. 'No need for you to trouble yourself, Tezuka.'

Tezuka nodded, still frowning as Fuji dragged Ryoma away.

'I guess the cat's out of the bag then?' Fuji said as soon as they were out of earshot.

Ryoma nodded, sighing.

Fuji chuckled.

'What's so funny?' Ryoma demanded. Nothing about his predicament seemed particularly amusing to him.

'Oh, nothing, nothing,' Fuji said. Ryoma didn't feel reassured.

'Tell me about Echizen Nanjiroh,' Ryoma then demanded, his mind latching back onto its previous concern.

Fuji stared straight at Ryoma's eyes, with blue eyes blazing. 'Who is Echizen Nanjiroh to you?'

Ryoma almost uttered 'my father' but stopped himself in time. It probably wouldn't have been the wisest thing to do.

'I suppose we'll be having a lot of fun over the next few days then, Ryoko-chan?' Fuji said, smiling façade on once again. 'Until you tell me your secrets, of course. I can't leave a puzzle unsolved.'

Ryoma gulped involuntarily.

Fuji led them down a dark corridor and through a door, which opened to an equally dark room. Fuji flipped on the lights.

The sight that Ryoma saw was definitely not what he was expecting.

And definitely not what Fuji was expecting either.

'You!'

Niou Masaharu was standing in the middle of the room, dagger with the 'R' on it poised for attack.

He then commented, 'Not exactly who I was expecting to see. I suppose you won't be directing me towards Sanada then?'

Fuji's drawing of his pistol was a good enough answer for Niou, who sighed. He then swung his arm forward in a quick fluid motion, so fast that Ryoma didn't even notice.

Fuji, however, did, and he quickly darted to the left - where he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Niou smirked. 'Falling for such an elementary trick? Seishun's standards are lower than I thought.' He twirled the dagger that was still in his hand.

There was a very familiar dart in Fuji's arm.

'You were the one who shot me?' Ryoma asked, eyes wide.

Niou sighed. 'I had expected more of a challenge from the infamous Fuji Syusuke. I suppose he let his emotions get the better of him. Too bad.'

'I really don't have time to be looking for Sanada either, do I?' Niou said to himself.

Ryoma vaguely remembered Sanada being mentioned in that first dinner he had had in this strange building.

'But Yukimura will be expecting something more than the idiot I already have,' Niou remarked. His eyes fell on Ryoma.

'I think I'll surprise him then.'

Ryoma was out cold before he even noticed the dart stabbed through his hospital gown.

xhx

'Atobe-san, Atobe-san!'

Choutarou's frantic voice rang echoed in the large office, reverberating off the walls. That in itself was a bizarre event, as Choutarou was sweet and quiet and polite. Being loud was more Shishido's territory. Shishido was quite a bad influence.

Atobe raised a single eyebrow elegantly, but before he could utter an equally elegant 'yes', he was interrupted.

'Shishido-san is gone!'

Atobe paused. 'Where?' He frowned, and turned to face Jirou, who was sleeping in a rocking chair. Choutarou was taking away from his Jirou time.

'I don't know!' Choutarou nearly screamed, and Atobe stared. Choutarou didn't scream. Ever.

And then Atobe had a strange inkling of fear. 'Where's the prisoner?'

Then, a low, Kansai-accented voice was added into the mix.

'Our prisoner has escaped, Keigo.'

Atobe sighed, standing up and turning to face Oshitari Yuushi, who was decked out in an elegant royal blue suit with a red tie, looking like he was ready for a business meeting.

Then, another person bounced into Atobe's office - they were taking up his Jiroh time - with vigour, dressed in clothes that could have be Oshitari's complete opposite: a pair of jean shorts and a loose-fitting white T-shirt.

'Mukahi,' Atobe acknowledged. 'Yuushi. Please take care of this.'

Yuushi's lips turned up into a cruel smile. 'In the usual manner?'

'Yes,' Atobe responded after only a moment, 'please do.'

Atobe then looked out the window, where the sun was setting. He clasped his hands together, as if in prayer.

Rikkai had caused trouble long enough. It was time to end this.

xhx

When Ryoma came to, he was, once again, in a room with peculiar interior decorating. Perhaps his father had been in an undercover interior decoration group, with a slogan like 'interesting rooms make for interesting lives'.

However, this was a bit much.

Ryoma didn't really care about interior decoration at all - but it would have been nice to wake up and see walls that were perpendicular to the floor.

The walls he saw around him, sadly, were not up to standards.

The walls were indeed parallel, but ninety degrees to the floor they were not. It was as if a huge gust of wind had knocked into them, rendering the room into a twisted sort of parallelogram.

Ryoma was feeling rather dizzy just from looking around him.

'Ah, awake then?'

Niou had a bad habit of sounding infuriating.

'What am I doing here?' Ryoma asked rudely.

Niou gave a casual shrug. 'Why not? I decided that I might as well go for the "kidnap one get another one free" bargain.'

At Ryoma's blank stare, Niou pointed at a sleeping Shishido Ryou. 'I hadn't planned on bringing you along, of course. I hadn't expected anybody to be put into the interrogation room outside of my shachou's dearest. But since you and Fuji-kun had decided to come 'long, and you had looked just _so _tempting, I figured that I might as well grab you instead.'

Niou's illicit eyebrow waggling had not gone unnoticed, but Ryoma decided to pretend they had.

'But why did you need to kidnap _anybody_? Who the hell is this shachou?' There were far too many secrets. Secrets led to more secrets, which led to problems, which led to bad things happening.

Niou gave the same reply as before. 'Why not?'

Glancing at a clock placed on one of the slanted walls, Niou then added, 'And this shachou will be here shortly to talk with you. He's quite interested in you, Echizen Ryoma.'

And Ryoma was reminded of the fact that Niou had somehow figured out his name. 'How-'

'I think that I am more apt for answering this question, don't you, Niou?'

The quiet, serene voice almost reminded Ryoma of Fuji. Almost.

It would have had it had more of a tint of insanity.

Instead, Ryoma turned to the door on the other slanted wall, questioning. 'Who-' His voice broke when he saw the man at the door. The soft locks of hair, those startling eyes, that simple smile...

'Yukimura Seiichi. It's wonderful to see you again.'

It seemed that Ryoma's life, once again, was flying off to the realms of too-common coincidences.

**x tsuzuku**

I'm sorry if this seems sloppy xD. Any critique for this chapter will be accepted with open arms. -awinchan


	10. Chapter 10

**antiTHESIS**

This is a revised chapter, because this weekend I don't have the time to post up a complete new one, and I can't post just an author's note. I'm extremely sorry that I have to stray from my schedule this week, and promise an update the fortnight afterwards. Once again, I'm so sorry. xD"

**x the delusions of two people in similar states of minds**

_Ryoma didn't usually invite people over. _

_But that was because Ryoma didn't have very many people he would want to invite over anyway. _

_Today, however, was a special occasion - Ryoma had actually decided that one of his schoolmates was interesting enough to come over to his house. (It helped that said schoolmate had a similar taste to Ryoma's in reading material.)_

_After a morning of anxious waiting, the doorbell rang, and Ryoma practically ran to the door with an almost-smile, flinging it wide open. _

_Nanjiroh followed, rather eager to see who could have incited such an action from the only book-loving Echizen Ryoma. He had been listening to the brat's excited chattering the whole morning, and couldn't help but wonder about what type of amazing kid could get Ryoma so worked up. _

_'Ah, Ryoma-chan. Thank you for inviting me over.'_

_Yukimura Seiichi stood in all his glory, gentle smile on his face with kind eyes, which narrowed the moment they landed on the person behind Ryoma._

_'Echizen-san, it's wonderful to see you,' Yukimura said, eyes closing and smile widening. _

_Ryoma, missing the nuance between the word 'see' and 'meet', said cheerfully, 'Dad, this is-'_

_'Yukimura Seiichi,' Nanjiroh said flatly, 'never step on my property again, you hear me?' _

_Yukimura almost pouted. 'Well, Ryoma-chan, I suppose I'll have to leave then. Have a good day, Echizen-san, Ryoma-chan.'_

_And with that, Yukimura left, leaving Ryoma extremely befuddled and just a bit unsettled._

xxx

'Why are you here?' Ryoma spat, rage emanating from his persona. He jumped to his feet, despite his tiredness, golden eyes flashing with fury.

Yukimura smiled, serene even in the face of Ryoma's ire. 'Shouldn't I be the one asking that, since I am clearly not the guest?'

'Don't try and trick me!' Ryoma shouted, fists clenched with white knuckles. 'Why are you here?'

'I think I'll take myself and Ryou-kun out,' Niou said nonchalantly, dragging Shishido's unconscious body out of the room, leaving Ryoma and Yukimura alone.

'You _betrayed _me!' Ryoma continued to shout, voice getting louder by the second. 'You filthy murderer!'

Yukimura did nothing to disprove Ryoma's accusations, letting Ryoma continue to scream at him.

'I should have known that you were related to this somehow! Everything bad in my life is somehow _related to you_! My parents dying, my family leaving me, having to leave school, losing my job with Atobe, and ending up _here_! That's probably why Tezuka was hired to capture Rikkai-'

Yukimura chuckled. 'Tezuka. That blundering old fool. He's too focussed on things like justice that he misses the most obvious details, so set in his views. He's so close to the trees that he can't even see the forest, never mind the industrialised city around it.'

'Don't you dare say anything bad about him!' Ryoma's voice upped in volume, blood boiling.

Yukimura raised an eyebrow, smiling wider. 'So concerned about Tezuka, Ryoma-chan? I do wonder why.'

Ryoma opened his mouth to retort, but found that he had nothing to say.

'Why so quiet, Ryoma-chan?' Yukimura questioned. 'Well, I suppose I should be getting to _work_.' The emphasis on work was not unnoticed by Ryoma, and he glared.

'Going to go murder somebody else's father now?' Ryoma said angrily. 'Going to ruin somebody else's life?'

Yukimura beamed. 'You've always jumped to conclusions, Ryoma-chan; it's always seemed rather cute, though perhaps a bit childish - and I don't think you have the right to judge me because of such anyway, as you yourself...' And then he left the room, choosing (rather wisely) not to finish his sentence, humming. The door closed behind him with the click of a lock.

The room was silent now, except for the steady ticking of the clock on the slanted wall.

How could Yukimura be here? It was like Ryoma's whole past was being dredged back up to the surface now. He almost wished that he had never become Tezuka's secretary...

Almost.

He glanced down, flushing, at the hospital gown that he was still wearing, which now had a miniscule hole in it where the dart had been that wouldn't have been noticed if Ryoma hadn't known it was there. Ryoma really had expected for Tezuka to find out about his gender in a different way...

And his mind was off-track. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about _Tezuka_, damn it! The matter at hand was why the hell Yukimura Seiichi had once again wormed his way into his life.

How long had he been incarcerated? Ryoma glanced at the clock, but it didn't help much, being analogue. He couldn't tell if it was morning or evening - or if the clock was even right. He wouldn't put it past Yukimura to change the time on the clock just to disorient him, the _bastard_. There were no lengths that he wouldn't go to.

...But then, Yukimura had been right. Ryoma really didn't have the right to accuse Yukimura of murdering fathers.

He didn't have the right to judge anybody because they had murdered a parent..

Not when Ryoma had killed his own mother.

xsx

'Tezuka, what are we supposed to do?' Oishi said, completely frantic. 'Meino-san knows far too much for us to just let her stay in Rikkai hands! Oh that poor girl, she must be so scared now! Who knows what they'll do to her?'

'Oishi, calm down,' Fuji said, smiling, though his smile seemed a bit strained. 'Meino-san doesn't know that much, I'm sure.'

But Fuji really wasn't that sure. The way that Ryoko-chan had started almost violently at the mention of Echizen Nanjiroh was nothing short of alarming. Where was the connection?

'Tezuka, we'll have to organise a rescue mission immediately!' Oishi continued, panicked, as if Fuji had not interrupted at all. 'We'll get Inui out at the same time!'

Fuji tried to placate the hysterical vice-president. 'First of all, how do we know they're even being held at the same building?' Here, Oishi wailed - perhaps Fuji's attempt at pacifying him wasn't working too well. 'And you know that it wouldn't be smart to launch a rescue mission now, when Rikkai will be expecting-'

'We launch a rescue mission now,' Tezuka said grimly, making Fuji's words halt mid-sentenc. 'Rikkai now has two Seishun members in -'

'I wasn't aware that secretaries that hadn't even been employed for half a year counted as true Seishun members, Tezuka,' Fuji said lightly, making Oishi gasp.

'How could you say that, Fuji? Do you think we should just let Inui and Meino-san-'

'I'm not insinuating what you believe I am, Oishi,' Fuji said, his cerulean eyes focussed solely on Tezuka. 'I'm just wondering why Tezuka thinks such a rash action would be proper now, when he had been the one to suggest that we wait until later to attempt a rescue mission for Inui, who is a much more valuable employee than Ryoko-chan is.' And a much more honest employee at that, Fuji thought to himself. Inui hadn't been hiding his gender, and Inui certainly didn't look like a rabbit caught in headlights when the name Echizen Nanjiroh was mentioned.

Tezuka frowned at Fuji, but repeated himself, not bothering to explain. 'We launch a rescue mission now. Momoshiro and Kaidoh can-'

'Do you expect us to find the Rikkai headquarters that easily?' Fuji asked, chuckling. 'You know that we've tried numerous times, and Inui never told us, for fear that his voice would be picked up by the security system when he infiltrated Rikkai. He should have just told us - he got caught anyway. But we only got that far with months of research, Tezuka, and you want us to launch a rescue mission _now_?'

Oishi nodded at Fuji's logic, though his eyes were still wide with anxiety. 'It would be near impossible to find out so soon, Tezuka. How do you plan on doing it?'

Tezuka uttered three words that he had never planned on saying in his lifetime.

'I don't know.'

Oishi stared in shock. 'And you want us to just launch a rescue mission?'

'Momoshiro and Kaidoh will be sent out to pinpoint the location,' Tezuka said plainly. 'Inui did find out the general area. Kikumaru can be their driver.'

Fuji was full out grinning now. 'So desperate to save the princess, Mr Knight in Shining Armour?'

Tezuka stared at Fuji sternly, but said nothing.

'Well, I just happen to have a simpler way of finding out,' Fuji said, pulling something out of his pants pocket.

'Did Niou really think that I would be stupid enough to be tricked by something so elementary?' Fuji said, more to himself than Tezuka and Oishi. In his hand lay a small device with a screen on it. On the screen were two dots. One was in the centre of the screen, and the other was a little ways off, a blinking green light.

'Let's see where Ryoko-chan's hospital gown is now then...'

'You could have told us that you had a tracking device on Meino-san earlier, Fuji,' Tezuka said, his voice tinged with disapproval.

Fuji laughed. 'But I did want to see what lengths you would go to save our damsel in distress, Tezuka.'

He added under his breath at a volume that neither Oishi or Tezuka could hear, 'It seems this Meino Ryoko is more important to you than I believed, Tezuka.'

xxx

'Ryoko-chan, if you don't eat, you'll become bony and ugly,' Niou said, waving a slice of toast in front of Ryoma's face. 'And we wouldn't want that, right, Ryou-kun?'

'Don't call me that,' Shishido said, fuming. 'I can't believe you put truth serum into my food!' Shishido stalked off to the corner of the room, and plopped himself down, seeming determined to ignore Niou.

Ryoma wasn't really registering the conversation around him, far too busy with staring forward at nothingness, lost in his thoughts. He had to get out of here. Being in the same building as Yukimura Seiichi made him want to shoot somebody, the somebody being preferably Yukimura Seiichi himself - but Ryoma didn't want to kill ever again, and especially not for Yukimura Seiichi.

'Ryoko-chan,' Niou said in a singsong tone, 'won't you have some toast?'

Ryoma grabbed the offensive piece of toast that was blocking his vision and chomped it up. It tasted burnt, meaning he had just eaten a carcinogen and had a higher chance of getting cancer - which wouldn't be that bad, Cancer would mean that he would have to go to a hospital, and he'd get away from this horrid place. 'Happy now?' he said in a low voice. 'Leave me alone.'

'In a bad mood?' Niou asked in an abnormally bright tone used specifically for Ryoma's irritation.

Ryoma glared back at Niou, who was obviously in league with Yukimura and thus on the enemy's side.

'You should talk a bit more,' Niou suggested, smirking. 'It'll be a long wait for your saviours, you know, and you might get a bit bored.'

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at this. 'Saviours?'

'The Seishun Agency is probably trying to find our headquarters now,' Niou said, snorting. 'As if they'd be able to.'

Ryoma had a strange inkling that the Seishun Agency, with Tezuka at its head, wouldn't be trying too hard to find him. For some reason, that made him feel rather disappointed.

'Since we've got two of their people now, I'm sure they're quite worried,' Niou said with a cruel laugh. 'Can't say I blame them. Fuji really has lost his touch... I hadn't expected to be able to hit him that easily.'

Ryoma said nothing in return.

'But then, he probably just really really hates me because he thinks I killed his brother,' Niou said thoughtfully.

'Wait,' Shishido suddenly spoke, standing up from his corner. 'You were the one responsible for the murder of Fuji Yuuta?'

'So what if I am?' Niou said indifferently.

'The police chief's aide?' Shishido questioned, eyes wide. 'You were the one responsible for that?'

'I've heard it was quite the bloody murder,' Niou remarked.

Shishido's eyes were strangely watery. 'What did Fuji-kun ever do to you?'

Ryoma watched this exchange with interest, wondering what had caused the sudden change in Shishido's attitude.

Niou smirked. 'The target that time had been the police chief, but he had just _refused_ to get out of the way...' His voice trailed off, and his eyes watched Shishido's reaction closely.

'Are you really that heartless?' Shishido shouted, distraught. Niou seemed strangely satisfied. 'You... you murderer!'

This conversation seemed remarkably similar to the one Ryoma had had a bit earlier.

Niou, however, was not as gentle as Yukimura was, and walked right up to Shishido, slamming his hand onto the wall next to Shishido's head, shocking Shishdio into sliding down. 'Don't speak about things you don't know about,' he said quietly, underlying antagonism evident in his voice. 'Perhaps you should ask your dearest _Choutarou_ about this _murder_ that I committed the next time you see him, hm? See what comments he has to make?'

'Don't speak about Choutarou in that tone! You don't know anything about him!' Shishido shouted back, face red.

'I assure you, Ryou-kun, I know far more about your Ohtori Choutarou than you believe,' Niou retorted, eyes flashing. 'The things I know about Chou-kun could fill up quite a few books, and none of those things are particularly complimentary.'

'You're just a fucking murderer!' Shishido spat out. 'Why should I believe you? I hadn't believed it when Atobe said you were a marksman - but it seems you really are, you killer!'

Niou sighed. 'And I had thought that we'd be able to get along, Shishido.' His hand slipped back down to his side and his smirk was back firmly in place. 'It seems here we part ways then - you really are just another Hyoutei lackey.'

'You're of no use to us, Shishido,' Niou said uncaringly. He walked over to the door and held it wide open. 'You're free to go. Somebody will escort you back to Hyoutei. Goodbye, Shishido Ryou.'

Shishido stared at Niou, obviously bemused. 'What?'

'You're useless,' Niou said frankly. 'You can leave.'

Ryoma stood, quite ready to bolt as well, wondering why Shishido wasn't taking his chance immediately, but then Niou appended, 'But not you, Ryoko-chan. Yukimura-shachou's not done with you _quite_ yet, and if you try to leave, you'll just be knocked unconscious again.'

Ryoma sat back down.

Shishido continued to stare at Niou. 'I - I don't understand,' he said in a voice that was half a whisper.

'Somebody is waiting outside to escort you back to Hyoutei,' Niou repeated. 'Please leave, Shishido.'

Shishido glanced at Ryoma with sympathy in his eyes, quite obviously because Ryoma would have to suffer Niou's company longer. Then, Shishido looked back at Niou.

'How do I know this isn't a trick?' Shishido demanded.

'You don't,' Niou said, a faint linger of a smirk on his lips. 'Take the chance if you will. I myself shall be leaving now. You can stay if you want, of course.'

And with that, Niou left.

'Meino, you'll be fine here, right?' Shishido said, sounding a bit worried for the other prisoner.

Ryoma nodded. 'You worried 'bout me, Shishido?' he said, with a bit of a leer.

Shishido harrumphed and left, but not without giving Ryoma a glance over his shoulder, his anxiety showing through easily.

xhx

'Atobe-san, have you had any luck?'

'Ohtori, if you ask me that one more time-'

'Kei-chan, don't be so mean to him!'

Atobe sighed. Choutarou had been asking him constantly about Shishido. He didn't understand _why_; Shishido was so annoying that it was almost a relief that he had been kidnapped...

...He didn't really mean that.

'Yuushi and Mukahi are ... taking care of it,' Atobe said. Choutarou's mouth formed a small 'o'.

'What do you mean by taking care of it?'

All eyes turned to the doorway, where one dishevelled Shishido Ryou stood.

'Shishido-san!' Choutarou exclaimed, running over. He spread his arms wide, quite ready to pull Shishido into a bone-breaking hug, but Shishido stayed back. 'What's wrong, Shishido-san?'

Staring Choutarou right in the eye, Shishido asked, 'What do you know about the murder of Fuji Yuuta?'

Choutarou looked, strangely enough, uncomfortable. 'What do you mean, Shishido-san?'

'I mean exactly what I said,' Shishido replied bluntly. 'What do you know about the murder of Fuji Yuuta?'

Shishido didn't miss the way Choutarou's eyes darted towards Atobe.

'Is there something you know that you're not telling me?' Shishido lobbied.

Choutarou shook his head frenetically, all the while glancing back and forth from Atobe to Shishido. 'What makes you say that?'

Shishido went rather limp. 'So you do know something,' he said quietly. And what could be so dark that Choutarou wouldn't share it with Shishido?

Niou had known something.

But how?

...And what else did he know?

xsx

Tezuka sat in the car, a frown etched in his face. Eiji was quite ecstatic to be driving, as per usual, but Tezuka was nothing close to ecstatic at sitting in the car that Eiji was driving.

'Don't worry, Tezuka, we're almost there,' Fuji said with a smile. 'We'll get Ryoko-chan and Inui out in no time.'

Tezuka's frown deepened. Only Fuji could so easily decipher his thoughts and moods. 'I'm sure Ryoko-chan can fend for herself anyway,' Fuji added.

Tezuka wasn't even really sure why he was so worried about his secretary, who had first of all, been hired at the spur of the moment and second of all, deceived them all.

But he couldn't help feeling worried anyway, and his gaze stayed on the small screen, his eyes fixated on the flashing green dot.

**x tsuzuku**

(Please do tell me if this chapter is better - I'm still not satisfied with it.) -awinchan


	11. Chapter 11

**antiTHESIS**

I apologise for the brevity of this chapter in advance, especially since I haven't updated for ages - it just seemed like a good place to end it. (I'm very sorry for not updating - real life was getting in the way xD)

**x in a new puzzle entirely**

'Nanjiroh, you can't possibly be thinking-'

_'But I am, Rinko, I am. It's the safest way for _all_ of us if-'_

_'You can't endanger him, Nanjiroh, you just can't! I don't care if it is for your job - don't drag Ryoma into this!'_

_Ryoma let out a gasp at the mention of his name, and tried to muffle it - but the damage had been done. His two parents turned to him, and immediately put on their smiles._

_'Ah, Ryoma, I have a present-'_

_'No you don't,' Rinko said, cutting Nanjiroh off. 'Go and read a book, okay, Ryoma?'_

_'Rinko,' Nanjiroh said, frowning, 'it's the most logical solution.'_

_Rinko sighed. 'If anything happens...'_

_'You don't have to forgive me.'_

_Completely puzzled by this strange exchange between his parents, Ryoma almost didn't notice his father slipping a wooden pendant on for him._

_'What's this?' Ryoma said, fingering the pendant that was now around his neck. The wood felt completely smooth all the way around. _

_'I want you to promise me,' Nanjiroh started, 'to always be wearing this and always keep it hidden.'_

_Ryoma, curious, asked, 'Why?' _

_'Because you have to keep the most important things close to your heart.'_

xsx

'We should have Momo and Kaidoh stationed...here.'

Fuji pointed at his makeshift map (which was really a piece of paper with a lopsided rectangle drawn on it) with a Pocky stick, his hand steady despite being in a very fast car. 'Without proper blueprints of the building, I think this is the safest place to start the infiltration. Eiji and I shall be patrolling outside just in case my estimations are incorrect - which they are likely to be, since we don't have any of Inui's information.'

'And what of Oishi, and myself?' Tezuka asked seriously, turning to face Fuji, who was sitting in the front seat beside his boyfriend the haphazard driver. He tugged with the slightest bit of anxiety at his seatbelt, making sure it was buckled in - and then the seatbelt had popped out. Tezuka stared at the broken seatbelt in his hands as the car bounced along the road at a most certainly illegal speed.

'Oishi shall stay in the car with us, taking care of communication. And you, Tezuka...' Fuji paused, smiling mischievously. 'I think you shall start over _here_.' He pointed at the opposite side of the building that Momo and Kaidoh were supposed to be stationed at, and then popped the Pocky stick into his mouth, taking his time with eating it.

'All the way over there?' Oishi asked, expressing his confusion, though his worried eyes stayed fixed on the window as they ran through the umpteenth red light that day amidst honking and loud yells from other drivers. (Tezuka had lost count.)

Fuji chuckled quietly, but gave no reason.

Tezuka nodded, just accepting what Fuji had told him to do - Fuji was a better tactician than he was in regards to sneaking and spying - Tezuka was better with more direct means.

They ran through yet another red light.

As the car screeched to a bumpy stop, Momo and Kaidoh practically leapt out of the car, obviously glad to be out of it. The moment they were gone, Eiji floored the pedal and the car sped quickly away.

'We don't want to linger at the other side of the building - we'll get caught - so I'll debrief you quickly,' Fuji said quietly. 'Tezuka, Ryoko-chan will be in the first room to your right when you enter. It will not be locked. Once you get Ryoko-chan out, leave the building the same way you got in, and contact Oishi.'

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. 'How do you know all that?' He glanced back at the map that Fuji had drawn. 'That map certainly doesn't have any details on it.'

Fuji waved Tezuka's suspicions aside with a graceful hand. 'Don't worry about such things of no importance. Ryoko-chan will be in the first room to your right.'

The car screeched to a stop again, and Tezuka was unceremoniously thrown out. With a cheerful 'go save your princess, Tezuka', the car was gone.

As Tezuka entered the Rikkai headquarters, he decided that sometimes, he wasn't really sure if he was the president of the Seishun Agency, or if Fuji was.

Nevertheless, he heeded Fuji's orders, and went through the first door on the right.

To find a very empty, very secretary-less room.

Not for the first time, Tezuka cursed Fuji under his breath.

xxx

Ryoma had been positively delighted that nobody had stopped him after leaving the room. What kind of security did Rikkai have? He had turned to his right and walked down the hall, looking for some way out.

He was less delighted now, since the hallways had to be designed to be particularly confusing. It was like he had walked into a labyrinth.

Everywhere, there were left turns, right turns, doors that were really walls, and walls that were really doors. What was this building - a fun house? He had caught sight of a few trick mirrors too.

He had probably been wandering for an _hour_ now, with no sign of even a window to tell him what floor he was on. (With his luck, he was most likely in a penthouse with only stairs or a broken lift.)

There was also no sign of anybody else in the building - Ryoma hadn't had to hide or anything at all. It was rather strange, walking through the halls freely with nobody apprehending him - it really made Ryoma wonder what was so frightening about this 'Rikkai' that couldn't even catch a stray prisoner.

'Hey, kid over there! What are you doing?'

...And Ryoma had just jinxed himself. He burst off into a run down the hallways, and could easily hear the footsteps of the person behind him. He didn't dare to turn around to catch a glimpse of his pursuer, in case he tripped on something in front of him like -

A foot?

As Ryoma tumbled to the ground, there was a mocking laugh. 'Hey, Marui-kun, who's this?' He felt the same foot he had tripped over nudge him in the side lightly.

The footsteps stopped, and Ryoma looked up at a pink-haired individual who just looked a bit puzzled and out of place, blowing a large green bubble. The other, the one who had kicked him, had black hair and a childish face with a large grin on it.

'I'm not really sure,' the one called Marui said contemplatively. 'Can't recognise her.'

'Are you even sure it's a her?' the other questioned.

Ryoma sat himself up, checked that his pendant hadn't been damaged, and said angrily, 'What the hell was that for?'

'Well, you were running through the halls,' the childish-looking one said impishly. 'Didn't your teachers ever tell you that you're not supposed to do that?'

'Play nice, Akaya,' Marui said, though he was smirking too. Akaya just shrugged.

'Should we just hand her-'

'Him,' Ryoma corrected tiredly.

Marui continued, 'Should we just hand _him_ over to Yukimura-shachou then? I'm sure-'

'No!' Ryoma shouted. His voice reverberated off the walls more than he would have liked.

Marui raised an eyebrow. 'And why's that?'

'Just, please don't,' Ryoma said, the slightest pout on his face. Now both of Marui's eyebrows are raised.

'That doesn't seem like a very good reason to me,' Akaya prompted.

Ryoma glared at him.

'Can't you just pretend you never saw me?' Ryoma asked, giving up.

Marui laughed. 'As if we could-'

A gunshot stopped Marui midsentence.

'You could.'

Tezuka Kunimitsu stood, a frown on his face, with a smoking gun in his left hand.

Ryoma had never been happier to see anybody in his life.

xhx

'Can't you just tell me what you know?' Shishido pleaded.

Choutarou replied in the same tone, 'Shishido-san, please. I don't know what you're talking about. Please, just stop asking me.'

'But you do know what I'm talking about!' Shishido responded, his voice a bit raised. 'What is it that you know that you can't tell me? Choutarou, you can tell me _anything_. I thought you knew that. I thought we were...' Shishido's voice faltered as his face turned pink.

'But that's precisely why I can't tell you,' Choutarou replied back, his eyes closed as though tired. 'Don't you understand? I don't want you to think that I'm...'

'That you're what?' Shishido pressed. 'I won't think badly of you, whatever it is, Choutarou. And Atobe knows! What is it that you trust _Atobe_ with but not _me_?'

'I can't tell you, Shishido-san, I _can't_!' Choutarou's voice was even louder than Shishido's. 'Just _stop it_, okay? I don't have to tell you everything!'

Shishido stared at Choutarou, eyes wide. Choutarou never shouted. Choutarou never yelled. Choutarou was always polite and kind and loving - and Shishido wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with this Choutarou. Choutarou clamped his hand over his mouth after realising what he had said.

'I didn't mean it,' Choutarou said quietly. 'I didn't.'

'Niou was right about you then,' Shishido replied back, equally as quiet. 'You had something to do with Fuji Yuuta's murder. But why can't you just trust me and tell me what you know?'

'I'm going to give you one last chance,' Shishido said finally, not looking into Choutarou's eyes. 'Either you tell me what it is that you're hiding... or I'm leaving.'

_And we're over_ was the silent addition.

Choutarou opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He started to cry.

'I can't believe you,' Shishido said simply, and left the room.

'Oi, Shishido, where are you going?' Atobe asked enquiringly. Shishido didn't answer, so Atobe turned to Choutarou, who just shook his head.

Atobe swore. 'He's catching on, isn't he.' It wasn't a question.

'Damn those Rikkai people - I bet it was that silver-haired prisoner we had in here earlier. It's really too bad - Shishido was such a good employee,' Atobe said more to himself than to Choutarou, who noticed the past tense that was used in reference to Shishido's employee status. '...I think this is another job for Yuushi and Mukahi-'

'No,' Choutarou said firmly. 'You can't do that.'

Atobe raised an eyebrow. 'I can't? I think you're forgetting your place, Ohtori.'

'Please, Atobe-san, please don't,' Choutarou rectified, falling back to his pleading tone. 'Shishido-san is... He is...'

'Then retrieve him, Ohtori,' Atobe gave in. 'You have a day exactly to retrieve Shishido and convince him to stay with Hyoutei Corporation willingly. If not...'

Choutarou nodded quickly. 'Thank you so much, Atobe-san, I'll have him back.'

'Willingly!' Atobe added as a reminder, even as Choutarou ran out, hoping that Shishido could forgive him for all he had done - even if Shishido didn't know what Choutarou had done yet (and hopefully, never would).

xrx

'Marui, I'm disappointed in you.'

Despite Yukimura's words, the disappointment couldn't be heard in Yukimura's voice, which was quite clearly delighted. 'You let my dearest prisoner go.'

Marui stared back at Yukimura, confused. His arm was bandaged, the bullet having already been extracted out of it. He didn't want to ask why Yukimura was happy though - he didn't want to know.

'This...setback shall cost you, Marui,' Yukimura said thoughtfully. 'What should be the punishment?'

Punishment? Marui thought in alarm. Perhaps Yukimura was actually disappointed then. If Yukimura _was_ disappointed, Marui was oh-so-screwed. He would be having his funeral in the following week, probably - he would have to find some time to kiss Akaya goodbye and write up his will (and make sure that Niou didn't tamper with it). Akaya would get his apple bubblegum stash, and-

'Marui? Please stop thinking up your will while I'm trying to talk to you.'

And Yukimura was psychic as well. Marui had always known. Marui put his focus back on the present. 'Yes, shachou?'

'You and Akaya-' and Yukimura was going to drag Akaya into it too? Marui wouldn't let Yukimura harm a hair on Akaya's head '-shall be put on reconnaissance.'

'Huh?' Marui questioned inarticulately.

'In a day,' Yukimura started, 'we'll have two very unwanted visitors coming to pick up... a new employee who shall be arriving in a few minutes. The two of you are to make sure that these two unwanted visitors don't make any contact with our employee.'

'A new employee? Who are these two visitors?' Marui asked.

'To your first question-'

Yukimura was interrupted by the door, which was opened violently so it hit the wall beside it. In the doorway was one very angry looking man with a cap on his head, hands clenched into fists.

'I'm Shishido Ryou,' the man said, dusting himself off, 'and I want to know what the hell is going on around here.'

'Here he is,' Yukimura said pleasantly. Shishido looked at Yukimura, confused.

'What?'

'And to your second question,' Yukimura added, 'Mukahi Gakuto...'

Marui's throat tightened. Yukimura couldn't possibly be saying...

'And Oshitari Yuushi.'

Marui's mouth broke into a very twisted sort of grin that was unlike him. 'Akaya and I will take care of them. Gladly.'

Oshitari Yuushi would pay, Marui promised himself silently, his thoughts on one Brazilian friend that he had lost. And Marui would be the one to make him.

**x tsuzuku**

I kind of felt like having Marui's point of view all of a sudden, so that's the reason I had that little bit at the end (though it really shouldn't be there since it sends the plot out the window).

Now, to you lurkers who have this story on alert or on favourites and haven't reviewed - I'd really like reviews from you to hear your opinion! XD Reviews would be perfectly lovely. -awinchan


	12. Chapter 12

**antiTHESIS**

Wow, a chapter! I was writing this instead of studying for my exams - I hope my marks won't show it. XD

But this chappie isn't too long either. D:

Anyway, do read on.

(I'm going to thank the awesomely brilliant Rain-chan who betas amazingly fast. XD)

edit: Thank you Cei-chan, once again, for catching my idiotic mistakes. XD

**x frivolity and frailty being one and the same **

_'Oh, the nice man is on TV again.'_

_The comment itself was very strange - Ryoma wasn't one to initiate conversations. Thus, Nanjiroh immediately turned to the television, where one grey-haired man was talking in a fluid manner._

_'We, at Hyoutei, take honesty very seriously.' The man's hands were clenched into tight fists, but that was the only sign of any anxiety that the man had. His face was calm with a charismatic smile, and his eyes were crinkled, giving him the aura of a genial middle-aged man. 'The accusations that have been made are false, and it pains me to even say so - it is an embarrassment for me to even admit that such untruthful words have been said about my company.'_

_'Though the lies of others have tarnished our image in some of your eyes - I would be disappointed in Hyoutei Corporation as well if the comments were true - but as they are not, I know that our company shall jump back to its former untainted position.'_

_'I swear that on my family name of Atobe.'_

_As the news program featuring Hyoutei ended, Nanjiroh turned the television of with a click of the remote. _

_'What do you mean, again?' Nanjiroh's voice was low, dangerous. And then cheerful again. 'Oh yes, you saw him on the news before, right?'_

_'That's not what I meant,' Ryoma grumbled, turning his attention elsewhere - elsewhere being the book in his hand._

_But his father interrupted. 'What do you mean?'_

_'Oh, he came by to our house once...' and then Ryoma remembered that the man had asked him to keep his visit a secret. 'Oops.'_

_'You've met him?' Nanjiroh shouted, face pale. Ryoma's eyes widened at his father's reaction, and he could only muster up a nod in reply._

_'Don't ever open up the door for him, okay?' Nanjiroh said seriously, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. Ryoma nodded again, and as he bobbed his head, the string around his neck moved with it, a noose just waiting to be tightened._

xsx

The silence in the car was deafening.

Though it wasn't completely silent, it might as well have been. The only sound that could be heard in the car was the steady hum of the motor - and it was getting quite repetitive. Ryoma didn't even dare turn on the radio, in case it bothered Tezuka, who was driving.

There were only the two of them in the car. As Fuji had said there was something 'sensitive' he needed to discuss with Oishi - and Ryoma had no doubt that this 'sensitive' something had something to do with a secretary and his gender, Ryoma was ushered away so that he wouldn't be able to listen in. Eiji, of course, refused to leave if Fuji didn't, and Momo and Kaidoh were still looking for Inui - so it was just Ryoma and Tezuka in the car, with Tezuka driving silently and Ryoma in the seat next to him.

Tezuka's eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the road, serious hazel eyes that didn't notice the other cars passing them at speeds fifty kilometres faster than he was driving. Ryoma had a feeling that Tezuka didn't even notice the honking from the cars behind them, all of which had drivers that were a bit annoyed at driving behind a person who drove thirty under speed limit.

'So, um...Tezuka,' Ryoma started. 'Thank you for saving me.'

No answer.

'I think I'd have been caught again otherwise.'

A monosyllabic 'aa'.

'...So yeah, thank you.'

Silence again.

Starting to fidget with the hem of his hospital gown, Ryoma mumbled, 'I was planning on telling you all that I was a guy eventually - I wasn't trying to hide it _intentionally_. It's just that you all assumed, and then...' Ryoma stopped, realising he was rambling.

Still no answer - and now Ryoma was just _irritated_.

'I'm trying to _apologise_,' Ryoma growled, surprised at how angry he sounded. 'You could at least pretend-'

Ryoma's complaint was cut short when the car came to a heart-stopping halt.

'What the hell?' Ryoma managed to mutter after regaining his breath.

'Red light,' Tezuka said calmly. Ryoma stared. And then the car accelerated from zero to eighty kilometres in two seconds.

'What the _hell_ are you doing?' Ryoma half-screamed.

Tezuka turned to look at Ryoma, obviously intending to reply.

'Keep your eyes on the road!'

Tezuka obliged, turning back to the road. Ryoma almost breathed out a sigh of relief, but then Tezuka suddenly braked, making Ryoma lurch forward. And then Tezuka continued driving at around fifty kilometres an hour, seeming oblivious to the honking.

'I was over the speed limit,' he explained calmly.

Ryoma, at that moment, decided that Seishun had to be some sort of secret assassination agency that killed people with bad driving. Eiji and Tezuka couldn't have been in the same company by _coincidence_.

'What were you saying?' Tezuka asked politely, but Ryoma just shook his head.

'Please. Just drive.'

The car ride fell back into a deafening silence, but this time, Ryoma found it more than welcome.

xhx

'Geez, Yuushi, can you stop pacing for _just one second_?'

Mukahi Gakuto was thoroughly, completely, and just very obviously annoyed with his partner-in-crime. 'You've been walking around for at least ten minutes...' And indeed Oshitari had. The cream-coloured carpet was clearly flattened where Oshitari had been walking back and forth.

His voice dropped to a lower tone, obviously meant to sound sultry. Oshitari would have smirked at Gakuto's attempts had his mind not been on other things. 'Wouldn't it be so much more _fun_ to be sitting with _me_?' Gakuto had on a smirk that rivalled Atobe's as he lounged on the couch with both feet up, sly eyes staring up at his lover.

Oshitari, for once, paid him no heed, and continued to pace, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

'Yuuuuuushi,' Gakuto whined, but still, Oshitari continued to pace, his thoughts faraway from the present.

'Yuuuu-' Gakuto started, only to be interrupted abruptly.

'Gakuto. Shut up.' Oshitari was uncharacteristically brusque, his usually mellifluous voice discordant. 'Do you even _understand_ what Atobe had been saying?'

Though Gakuto's eyes widened at Oshitari's tone of voice, after a moment, he simply shrugged. 'Yeah, we have to get rid of Shishido if Ohtori doesn't fix him up first,' Gakuto replied uncaringly. 'So what? As if Shishido could do anything that Ohtori didn't want him to. He'll be back tomorrow, and then we won't have to do anything at all.' Gakuto sounded entirely sure of his words, and Oshitari couldn't help but think that Gakuto had good reason to - Shishido followed Choutarou around like a lovelorn puppy - which perhaps, he was, if one took away the puppy part.

Oshitari stared back at Gakuto, and let himself smile. 'You're right.' He stopped pacing and sat down beside Gakuto, who immediately started talking about how he absolutely had to beat Kikumaru Eiji at the next street race they both participated in.

Letting Gakuto's mindless (and repetitive - Oshitari had heard the same conversation quite a few times already) chatter wash over him, Oshitari prayed that Choutarou would be able to bring Shishido back without fuss - Oshitari didn't like to have to do more work than necessary, as he got paid hourly and not by commission. (Good thing too - if he got paid by commission, Oshitari wouldn't be getting much money, what with the infrequency of his tasks - Atobe tended to call on him only when absolutely necessary.)

And a little part of him just felt that it wouldn't be right to kill a fellow employee.

xsx

'...And yeah, that's how I kind of ended up here,' Ryoma finished lamely.

Perhaps it was just Ryoma's imagination, but Tezuka's face seemed even blanker than usual. He wasn't even frowning. The two of them were sitting in the library, Ryoma on a beanbag chair, Tezuka on a wooden one, with a round table separating them. On the table were an array of books, pushed either to Ryoma's left or Ryoma's right, forming two tall walls.

Tezuka didn't say anything in return, his hazel eyes simply staring back at Ryoma's golden ones. Ryoma felt like he was under interrogation - and when he thought about it a bit more, it really was interrogation. At least it was interrogation by Tezuka - there were many worse fates, one being interrogation by Fuji.

'I hadn't meant on keeping my gender a secret,' Ryoma added with a shrug. 'It just sort of happened - and it wasn't like there was really a good time to bring it up. It'd have been an awkward conversation if I just said, "Actually, I'm a guy."'

And then, to Ryoma's unreserved amazement, Tezuka let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like...

'Did you just laugh?' Ryoma asked, incredulous. 'Tezuka?' He had to stop himself from tagging on an honorific to Tezuka's name - Tezuka just seemed to exude an aura of authority that demanded respect. (Ryoma, though he would never admit it, had almost added a '-sensei' to 'Tezuka'.)

Tezuka stared back and replied, rather dry, 'I do have a sense of humour, Meino-san.'

That had to be one of the longest things Ryoma had ever heard Tezuka say - and one of the strangest too.

Following an awkward sort of pause, Ryoma asked, 'Can I still work here? Or am I fired?'

Tezuka looked suddenly grave. 'I will have to consult the rest of Seishun before deciding.'

'But what do you think?' Ryoma persisted. 'You're the president of this place.'

After a moment of silence, Tezuka finished, 'I think it would be best to keep you here. You know too much to be allowed to leave.'

Ryoma, for some reason, had the strangest twinge of disappointment upon hearing Tezuka's reasoning.

'I'm... just going to return to our quarters,' Ryoma said, standing up. Our quarters. He hadn't really comprehended that until now, but he really did live here. He pushed in his chair, and then stopped. 'Unless you need me for something?'

Subconsciously, Ryoma had given Tezuka a lifeline, though neither of them would realise it until later.

Tezuka, after another pause, replied, 'No thank you.'

'I'll... just be going then.' Ryoma headed for the door, leaving Tezuka by himself in the large library so full of books that it seemed a bit empty.

'Wait.'

Ryoma immediately halted, and turned back to Tezuka, who seemed just as surprised at his words as Ryoma.

'You don't have to leave. There is nothing to do for the afternoon, so you can stay and read.'

Read? Ryoma's lips immediately turned up in a smile. Uttering a quick 'thank you', he immediately headed back for the bookshelves, but stopped once again when he was halfway there, spotting Tezuka leaving the library.

'...You don't have to leave either,' Ryoma supplied, and Tezuka made the slightest nod, before sitting back down and flipping open a book.

If Ryoma had been closer, he could have seen the faintest smile on Tezuka's face.

xxx

'Well, well, well. What do we have here?'

A playfully light voice easily filled the library, which had previously been practically silent besides the occasional sound of a page being flipped.

However, the other two occupants did not notice, both too engrossed in the same activity.

'I think this is very suspicious,' the same voice added.

Still, no attention was garnered from the pair.

The sudden noise of a shutter closing, however, did the trick. Four eyes looked up, two gold, two hazel, to stare up at the face of a cheerful Fuji Syusuke.

'Wah?' Ryoma uttered incoherently.

'Feeling comfortable?' Fuji questioned. 'The two of you are sitting rather...'

Ryoma turned to face Tezuka, who had also turned at the same moment, and Ryoma noticed that the two of them were sitting rather closely together on the couch.

'The two of you make for quite the pretty picture,' Fuji informed them, full out grinning now. Both Tezuka and Ryoma stood up at the same time.

'Fuji.' Tezuka sounded stern, but Fuji simply smiled back at him.

'Three.'

Fuji's smile grew bigger.

'Two.'

'What are you saying, Fuji?' Tezuka sounded wary, and Ryoma thought, quite intelligently, that he had a good reason to be.

'One.'

'Fuji-'

'TEZUKA! RYOKO-CHAN! What are you two _doing_ together in the library?' A Kikumaru Eiji with an inappropriately scandalous expression bounced into the library with vigour. 'And Fujiko too?!'

'No, no, I was just here for the pictures,' Fuji said smoothly, patting Eiji's head after the redhead had reached his side. 'I've only got one though...'

'Ooh, can I have it?' Ryoma watched in fascination as Eiji hung off Fuji like a touchy-feely cat. 'Pleeease, Fujiko? Make me a copy?'

'Fuji.' Tezuka sounded even sterner than before. 'Get rid of that photo.'

'But don't you want a copy?' Fuji asked innocently.

'No,' Tezuka replied frankly.

Ryoma's heart did a little double take.

'Really?' Fuji pouted. 'That's too bad.' And then he smiled again. 'I'll print them out for you, okay? But we should all get going.'

'Going where?' Ryoma asked, wary as well.

'Didn't Fujiko mention it?' Eiji asked, eyes wide. 'We've got Inui back! And he has some info on Rikkai, though he won't tell until Tezuka's there!'

'Shouldn't you have said that first instead of taking pictures?' Ryoma questioned, accusing.

Not answering Ryoma's question, Fuji answered, 'Let's get going, Ryoko-chan, we can't let Tezuka keep you all to himself.' And then Fuji rather elegantly swept Ryoma into his arms, bridal style. 'I've got a few things I haven't had a chance to ask you.'

Ryoma did not really understand why he had a feeling of imminent doom.

xrx

'Wait a second. I didn't come here for a _job_.'

Shishido and Yukimura sat at Yukimura's desk, the sunset behind Yukimura giving him a silhouetted glow. Though Yukimura looked as calm as always, Shishido was a bundle of nerves, fidgeting with his hands and shuffling his feet even whilst sitting, though, to be fair to Shishido, the chair that he was sitting in was a bit uncomfortable.

Yukimura simply smiled back. 'Do you think Hyoutei will be taking you back after you ran out on them? Or rather, do you think you'll want to work for Hyoutei after I'm done telling you about what Hyoutei has done?'

'We're just a normal company,' Shishido replied guardedly, his fingers fiddling with his tee shirt.

Yukimura laughed. 'You don't really believe that, do you?'

Shishido paused, and then replied silently with a shake of his head.

'Good,' Yukimura said firmly, placing his elbows on the desk with his hands interlocked. 'Rikkai can't hire somebody who had such ridiculous notions.'

Shishido thought over what Yukimura had said for a moment, and then asked, rather dumbly, 'What?'

'Surely you didn't think I would just tell you anything without something for my benefit,' Yukimura responded with a chuckle 'And I assure you, it shall be nothing too taxing. You will just have to stay here at Rikkai until somebody attempts to pick you up.'

'Huh?'

Yukimura chuckled again. 'You'll be told everything once your employment is over, and will be subsidised. If you're done talking, then I shall have Niou take care of you for now; he seems quite fond of you. Why don't you just head to your quarters then? Room at the end of the hallway - just keep walking until there is nowhere else to go!'

Shishido found himself being ushered out of Yukimura's office even more confused than he had been before.

'Oh. You're back?'

...That agonising drawl - who else could it belong to?

'Niou,' Shishido greeted stiffly. Niou nodded back.

'Seems I'm stuck with you for a few days 'til your knight in shining armour comes,' Niou replied nonchalantly.

'Don't speak about Choutarou like that,' Shishido immediately replied, though there was none of the anger in it that had been there before when he rebuked Niou about Choutarou.

Niou just shrugged in reply. 'Didn't Yukimura tell you where you were supposed to stay?'

Shishido blinked. 'Yeah, he did.'

'Then why are you standing in front of his office like an idiot?' Niou asked. He paused. 'Well, it's nothing unexpected, really.'

And now Niou was smirking. Shishido decided that Niou probably didn't even know how to smile.

'This way, you fucktard. What are you staring at me for?'

Niou _definitely _didn't know how to smile.

'I have to watch over you,' Niou informed Shishido, 'to make sure you don't do something stupid like kill yourself.'

'Why would I do that?' Shishido asked indignantly.

'Who knows?' Niou said uncaringly. 'Either way, I'm stuck with you until your - fine, until _Chou-kun_ - wait, I can't say that either, can I? Well, I'm stuck with you until Ohtori comes and picks you up, or until your co-workers try to kill you.'

'Oh, okay...' Shishido mulled over Niou's words in his head. Particularly the last six words. 'Wait, _what_?'

Niou opened his mouth to speak, and then clamped it shut again.

'What do you mean?' Shishido pressed.

And there it was: the smirk.

'I can't tell you,' Niou drawled. 'Yukimura's orders. Nobody can say anything about Hyoutei or Rikkai or Seishun-'

'What does Seishun have to do with this? I thought they were a detective agency!'

Niou sighed, sounding just a little bit weary. 'It's going to be a long few days.'

**xxx**

(I was trying to establish -some- sort of relationship between Tezuka and Ryoma, but it doesn't seem to be working too well. XD)

I had fun writing Niou and Shishido though. XDDD

Drop a review and tell me what you think? -awinchan


	13. Chapter 13

**antiTHESIS**

This chappie is dedicated to twilley, who owes me a cookie. XD (For the record, I'd like choco chip cookies. Simple is best. XD)

(Thanks to squishy and Anne-chan for catching the same idiotic mistake. xD)

(And thank you for the umpteenth time to Cei-chan, who never fails to catch my slip-ups XD)

revised 2008.07.08

**x a catastrophic catalyst created**

_'I'm not sure why my dad doesn't like you,' Ryoma said matter-of-factly. He was at the library, sitting at a desk piled up with books that he planned to either finish reading at the library or bring home so he could finish. He had closed his book momentarily to speak to his companion._

_Yukimura simply smiled back. 'It's too bad, isn't it, Ryoma-chan?' He picked up a book from Ryoma's pile absentmindedly. 'Is this any good?' He flipped it over so he could look at the cover. 'It's not very pretty.'_

_Ryoma, sounding annoyed, replied, 'Seiichi, you're not supposed to judge books by their cover.'_

_Yukimura laughed quietly. 'That's too true. A very apt expression of speech for you to apply, I think, Ryoma-chan. You shouldn't judge books by their covers either, you know.'_

_'But I don't,' Ryoma responded blankly. _

_Yukimura just chuckled, and started reading the book that he had taken from Ryoma's pile_

_Ryoma stared at Yukimura unblinkingly. And then he blinked and went back to his reading - he would never understand Seiichi, ever._

xrx

'It's only courtesy for a guest to at least pay attention when their host is trying to entertain them.'

Shishido was going insane. 'How is throwing peas at me in _any way_ entertaining?'

Niou shrugged. 'You're not eating. This way, the food doesn't go to waste.'

'_You're still wasting it_!'

Niou shrugged again, and, picking up a handful of peas, threw a pea at Shishido.

'Argh!' Shishido exclaimed, putting his head in his hands.

Niou smirked. 'Got your attention now, don't I?'

'Can't you just leave me alone?' Shishido demanded, annoyed.

Niou smiled disarmingly. 'But Ryou, I can't keep away from you!' He slung an arm casually over Shishido's shoulder, and then pulled him close. 'You don't really want me to leave...' Leaning towards Shishido's ear, he whispered, '...do you?'

'_Argh_!' Shishido exclaimed for a second time, but for a different reason. His face beet red, he pushed Niou away from him. 'Go bother somebody else for a change!'

'Fine,' Niou replied back with a smirk. 'But you won't be getting any answers from me about Hyoutei when your time here is up.'

Shishido retorted, 'I'll just ask...' He ran through the options in his head. Both Marui and Kirihara would just laugh at him if he asked - they were half as bad as Niou. Also, they seemed to be a bit touched in the head - he wouldn't be sure if the information they told him was correct or not. The only other person he had seen was Yukimura, but Shishido, for no reason, really, had this weird fear of him - like Yukimura was a devil in disguise or something. Niou seemed to be - dare Shishido say it? - the best choice out of them. (Shishido was cursing himself even in mind - Niou, the best choice?)

Niou chuckled, and Shishido was pleasantly surprised at how, for once, Niou didn't sound malicious. 'Caught you there, didn't I? Well, it's been over twelve hours since you got here - I expected a guest earlier.'

'A guest?' Shishido asked, curious. 'Who?'

'Or at least, Yukimura expected a guest,' Niou mused to himself, 'but when is Yukimura ever wrong?'

'Who?' Shishido asked again, not pleased at being kept in the dark once again.

'Shishido-san!'

That voice. Shishido knew it. Wheeling around, he spotted a very unexpected face at the doorway.

'Choutarou?' Shishido's mouth was wide open. 'How- when- what?'

Running up to him, Choutarou placed his hands on Shishido's shoulders, an unusually bold action for him. 'Shishido-san, I have to get you out of here _today_. Please, please, just come with me.'

Anger flaring up, Shishido shouted back, 'And why should I? I don't know what the hell is going on any more, Choutarou - it's like I've never known you!'

'Shishido-san,' Choutarou pleaded, 'please listen to me. I'll tell you everything you want to know if you just come with me _now_.'

Before Shishido could answer, Niou answered for him. 'As if you would be able to say anything that you didn't think your dearest Shishido-san should hear,' Niou said, his tone mocking. 'You won't tell him about anything you don't think he should know - not about a certain person's murder, right? Does the name Fuji Yuuta ring a bell?'

Choutarou froze, and his arms fell limply to his side. 'I- I-'

Niou smirked. 'That all you have to say? Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, but do remember, Ohtori - you only have a few hours left.'

And with that, Niou disappeared through the door, closing it behind him. Shishido didn't notice the door locking with a quiet 'click', his thoughts on what Fuji Yuuta could have to do with _any _of this.

Fuji Yuuta. Shishido missed him.

xsx

'Oh, Ryoko-chan. Whatever shall we do with you?'

This wasn't how things were supposed to happen.

Ryoma had imagined that he and Fuji would be locked in a small, grimy room with a single flickering light, his arms chained down to an uncomfortable chair while Fuji smiled at him and said disarming things to try and get information.

Ryoma had not expected to be walking about outside, _holding hands with Fuji_, in the streets of Tokyo.

'Aww, look at the two of them!'

'Aren't they cute?'

Ryoma, parading along in his gothic lolita dress (which Fuji had picked out and asked him politely to wear - meaning, forced him to wear), felt like something was terribly, terribly wrong with the world.

'What are you doing, Fu-' Ryoma found himself cut off by a finger on his lips. A finger that wasn't his.

'Call me Syusuke,' Fuji said with a smile. If Ryoma didn't know better, he'd say that Fuji looked gentle and kind-hearted.

But Ryoma _did_ know better, and felt his heart dropping when Fuji added, 'We'll have fun today, won't we, Ryoko-chan?'

Taking his finger away from Ryoma's lips, Fuji then pointed at a tall building. 'Let's pop in there, okay?'

Ryoma nodded dumbly, with no choice but to follow since Fuji had a death grip on his hand. There didn't seem to be any point in arguing anyway.

'...Syusuke, is this a hotel?'

'Ah, I'll just be taking out my usual room for the night,' Fuji took the person at the counter, ignoring Ryoma. 'Make sure that the two of us-' here, he very pointedly swung the hand that held Ryoma's '-are not disturbed, hmm?'

'Of course, Fuji-san,' the man said, his voice full of the utmost respect, though he did give Ryoma a pitying glance. Handing over a key, he said politely, 'Have a nice stay, Fuji-san.' And then he whispered, before Ryoma was pulled away, 'Good luck.'

Ryoma would have said 'what?' had he not been pulled away by Fuji. 'Come now, Ryoko-chan, the elevator's this way.'

The two of them ascended in silence, the elevator finally stopping at the thirty-first floor. Stepping out, Fuji pulled Ryoma along after him, halting at a door at the very end of the hall.

'This is my room,' Fuji said, opening the door to reveal a hotel room that was more of a suite - it was larger than Ryoma's old apartment.

Ryoma asked plainly, 'What do you want...Syusuke?'

'Just a few answers,' Fuji said cheerily, 'since our last little meeting together was cut short, if you remember.'

As if Ryoma could _forget_ seeing Fuji being shot by Niou and then being kidnapped.

'There are so many questions I have to ask, Ryoko-chan,' Fuji started, plopping down on one of the beds and patting the spot next to him. Ryoma carefully extracted his hand from Fuji's grip.

'I think I'll stand,' Ryoma replied warily. He had more of a chance to escape if he was standing.

Fuji stared him down though, and Ryoma meekly sat down beside Fuji.

'Well, that's better,' Fuji said cheerfully. 'Hm, what shall be question one?'

'How about...' Fuji paused thoughtfully. 'You could tell me your real name, for starters.'

'Real name?' Ryoma asked confusedly.

'It can't possibly be "Ryoko", unless your parents were hoping for you to be teased in school,' Fuji said, chuckling. 'It's not exactly the most...masculine name.'

Ryoma laughed bitterly. 'I wouldn't know what they were hoping about my education.'

Fuji raised an eyebrow, confused at Ryoma's sudden change in demeanour. 'Ryoko-chan?'

'Ah,' Ryoma said, returning to the present. 'My name is Meino Ryoma.'

'Ryoma?' Fuji asked. He blinked once. 'Really.'

'What about it?' Ryoma snarked back, not in the mood for one of Fuji's mind games.

'I suppose it's just coincidental,' Fuji started with a laugh, but he stopped himself. 'Or maybe not.' Opening his eyes, he asked simply, 'What do you know about Echizen Nanjiroh?'

'Nothing,' Ryoma replied, a bit too quickly. He remembered what happened the last time he had said he was related to an Echizen Nanjiroh: he had gained a supposed friend who later took part in an assassination attempt against him - and Ryoma didn't really want that to happen again.

'Nothing?' Fuji raised an eyebrow again, though this time, he was sceptical. 'Really.'

'You've said that already,' Ryoma grumbled, 'and no, I don't know anything about Echizen Nanjiroh.'

'I suppose we'll be here for a while then, _Ryoma_.' Fuji smiled. 'I don't plan on letting you go until I have some information.'

With the lights off in the hotel suite, Fuji's blue eyes glowed with a feral quality to them, and his smile was anything but tame.

Ryoma couldn't help but feel he had bit off more than he could chew.

xhx

'Time's up,' Oshitari said, a sinking feeling in his heart. Gakuto stared at him, shocked.

'Are you serious?' Gakuto asked rather dumbly. 'It's already been twenty-four hours?'

'Am I ever not serious?' Oshitari said with a sigh. 'We have to move out now, or Atobe will never get off our case, and my salary will be lowered.' After a bit, Oshitari added, 'Yours too.' Gakuto pouted.

'Is there any way...' Gakuto started, only to cut himself off. 'There isn't, is there.' It wasn't a question.

Oshitari sighed again. 'Well, let's just go now, and hope that Ohtori has done _something_ to convince the stubborn mule by the time we reach them. If he has, then we'll just bring home somebody else's body. If it's from Rikkai, I'm sure Atobe won't mind anyway.'

Gakuto cheered. 'Let's go,' he said with a smirk. 'They won't know what hit them.'

He bounced out of the room to get ready, though Oshitari stood still, pensive. He'd a feeling that Ohtori wouldn't be able to get Shishido back, and it wasn't a nice feeling at all.

But Oshitari was too far gone to be thinking with his conscience. He closed his eyes for a second to let himself pretend, just for a moment, that he was going to not do what he had to do, and take the moral high ground, and then opened them again, becoming Oshitari Yuushi, employee of Hyoutei Corporation, Hyoutei's tensai, the man of a thousand skills.

One of which was assassination.

xsx

'Inui! How are you? You weren't mistreated, were you? I'm so sorry that you were kidnapped, and that we hadn't gotten to you sooner-'

'Oishi,' Inui cut off, a smile on his face, 'I'm fine.' He pushed up his glasses. 'I do have some interesting information that I think will help us with our current... mission.'

'Wah, Inui, you sound so _creepy_!' Eiji exclaimed, shivering and huddling behind Oishi.

Beside Oishi and Eiji, Momo and Kaidoh were sitting at the table, the two of them occasionally glaring daggers at each other. Tezuka was sitting across from them, stony-faced.

'What is it, Inui?' Tezuka asked, always to the point.

'Rikkai's holding somebody from Hyoutei hostage - and it isn't the first time,' Inui replied bluntly. 'Right now, they have Shishido Ryou-' here Oishi started worrying about how Shishido was faring '-and previously, they had had Hiyoshi Wakashi.'

'Hiyoshi?' Tezuka questioned, his face actually showing an emotion: shock.

Momo continued the thought for him. 'Wasn't Hiyoshi Wakashi the one...'

'The one who the police labelled as having committed suicide by stabbing himself multiple times in the leg so he would bleed to death, yes,' Inui finished. 'There have been many investigations that suggest something more sinister happened, but no proof has surfaced.'

'Do you think Rikkai has something to do with it?' Kaidoh asked quietly, to which Inui replied with a nod.

'On top of that, many of Hyoutei's ancillary companies have been falling into slumps,' Inui explained. 'Hyoutei has been losing money and power - and I think that their belief is that Rikkai has something to do with this - and they want it to stop.'

'We still have Sanada-san here,' Oishi said contemplatively. 'Do you think he'd give us any more information?'

'He hasn't given us _any_,' Eiji said with a pout. 'Not even after Fujiko was through with him.' Everybody collectively shivered - the things Fuji did to get his way were nothing to laugh at.

'Was it smart to let Fuji take away Ryoko-chan?' Oishi asked worriedly. 'Fuji isn't exactly...' His voice trailed off as his face flushed, his eyes glancing back at Eiji.

Eiji sighed - something quite uncharacteristic of him. 'I know Syusuke hasn't been the same ever since Yuuta... since Yuuta died,' Eiji said seriously, 'but I trust him. He wouldn't do anything drastic.'

'Would shooting me be considered as drastic?' a dry voice asked, and all wheeled around to face Niou Masaharu, who was standing calmly at the doorway.

'You have a way of popping around,' Inui replied in the same tone, a strange smile on his face.

Niou shrugged. 'That I do, that I do. Just in case you want to know, your darling secretary and the crazy one are about to be attacked.'

'By who?' Tezuka asked immediately.

'...Are you sure that's what you should be concerned about?' Niou asked, smirking. 'But by yours truly - well, not really. By the organisation of yours truly would be more appropriate.'

'You're bluffing,' Momo retorted. 'You just want us to run out, don't you? So then you could get back your vice-prez.'

'That could be true,' Niou said thoughtfully, 'but then, it might not be. Are you willing to risk the lives of your employees, Tezuka?'

'What are you planning on doing?' Oishi asked, frantic.

'_I'm_ not planning anything,' Niou said simply. 'But my two friends are. Marui and Kirihara are a bit distraught right now, and who knows what they'll do?'

'Marui Bunta and Kirihara Akaya,' Inui stated, flipping through one of his notebooks that he always had at ready. 'They are a duo, previously a trio, known for creating large disturbances. They were the ones responsible for...'

'For?' Oishi asked, voice higher than before.

'...The bombing of Hyoutei Corporation's branch office in Kyoto,' Inui said in a voice barely above a whisper. 'It was a small explosion but... there were no survivors.'

Tezuka stood up immediately, hazel eyes staring coldly at Niou. 'Oishi, throw him into a cell away from the other prisoner,' he ordered. 'Momo, Kaidoh, get ready. Eiji, get the car, and Inui, stay here and turn on communications.'

Nobody hesitated, and soon the Seishun Agency headquarters was simply a hurricane of action, with one smirking silver-haired individual standing in the eye.

xxx

'Your name.'

'It's _Meino Ryoma_,' Ryoma said tiredly, rubbing his eyes, which were bloodshot. 'I've told you that already a lot of times already, haven't I?' He giggled a bit. 'I said already twice.'

Fuji was not nearly as amused as Ryoma was, and poured him another glass of red wine. Ryoma had already had three bottles of expensive vintage wine, none of which he had properly appreciated, and as Fuji was showing no sign of relenting in his search for info, Ryoma was probably going to have many more.

'Do drink more,' Fuji said with a kind smile. 'The cup won't empty itself.'

'No, of course it wouldn't!' Ryoma said with another giggle, picking up the cup and downing it. 'If it did, that'd be a bit weird, because cups aren't supposed to be able to do that.'

'So. What do you know about Echizen Nanjiroh?' Fuji asked for the umpteenth time.

'Nuttin',' Ryoma replied, yawning. 'I know nothing at all 'bout Echizen Nanjiroh. Have you asked me that already?'

'You're just imagining things,' Fuji said, his smile rather forced as he poured Ryoma another cup. 'Drink more.'

There was a knock at the door, and Fuji said irritably, 'Who is it?'

'Room service' was the muffled reply.

'Room service?' Ryoma asked sleepily. 'When'd you order room service?' He stood up, a bit unsteadily, and headed for the door.

Opening it, he said blearily, 'We don't get room service here.'

The worker pushed a cart into the room, and tipped his hat to reveal black hair. 'Of course you do,' he answered with a devilish smile. 'Have a good day.'

'Thank yooooo,' Ryoma replied in a singsong tone. 'We have room service, Shuuuuuusuke.'

Fuji was staring at the cart, analytical. And then his eyes widened. He stood up and started running to the door.

'Syusuke?' Ryoma questioned stupidly.

'Get _out_!' was what Fuji would have shouted, had the cart not exploded.

The last thing he heard before he blacked out was a quiet 'This is for you, Jackal'.

**x tsuzuku**

And there is the chapter! Once again, this has not been beta-ed, so if you catch any mistakes, do tell! XD

Now, wouldn't you like to drop a review? -awinchan


	14. Chapter 14

**antiTHESIS**

edit: There will be no updates until September because I am to be entertaining my cousins from HK until the end of August. I'm sorry DDX 

This is the next chapter, a bit late, sorries. XD

(This is now beta-ed.)

revised 2008.07.15

**x falsities explained by more falsities**

_'Ryoma-chan, tell me about your family.'_

_Ryoma stared at Yukimura, who was smiling. 'Why?' he asked bluntly._

_The older boy just continued smiling. 'Why not? I want to know more about your family. Just humour your senpai, would you?'_

_Ryoma sighed, sure that Yukimura would just find a way to trick Ryoma into telling eventually anyway. 'Well, my mum's like any other mum, I suppose, except that she must be crazy, 'cause she likes my dad, who's a pervert.'_

_Yukimura chuckled. 'A pervert? Is that his job, Ryoma-chan?'_

_Ryoma stared at his senpai. 'Of course not, Seiichi-senpai. He works as a...' _

_'A...?' Yukimura prompted._

_'I'm not sure, actually,' Ryoma admitted. He brushed back his short hair. 'He never told me.'_

_'Well, that's not very nice of him,' Yukimura replied with a chuckle. 'Does he work long hours?'_

_Ryoma pondered this for a second, and then nodded. 'Yeah. Sometimes I don't see him for days.'_

_'Really now?' Yukimura asked, frowning. 'That's not very responsible of him.'_

_'Well, that's 'cause he's not responsible at all,' Ryoma grumbled._

_Looking amused, Yukimura reprimanded, 'You shouldn't speak that way about your father.'_

_Ryoma shrugged. 'Whatever.'_

_'So, why don't you tell me more about your father?'_

_Confused about why Yukimura would even want to hear about his pervert father, Ryoma nonetheless started talking. 'Well, he always does these weird things...'_

xsx

'What do you mean, Meino Ryoko doesn't exist?'

'I mean exactly what I said,' the doctor said firmly. 'There is no Meino Ryoko in our database.'

Tezuka had had a headache ever since he'd heard of the explosion, and it was only growing. Fuji and Meino were both injured, though Fuji was already 'doing wonderfully, Tezuka, so don't you worry', though he was still confined to a hospital bed. As of the moment, Tezuka was in Fuji's hospital room, with the doctor and Inui, who had insisted he be there.

'Inui?' Tezuka prompted, hoping that the data man had some sort of information on their mysterious secretary, but Inui shook his head.

'I never had time to do a background check,' he replied apologetically, pushing up his glasses. 'Since you had allowed her...' Inui's voice trailed off, Inui obviously not wanting to implicate Tezuka of being the person at fault.

'It is my fault,' Tezuka said quietly.

'And that it is!' was the cheerful reply from the bed, and both Tezuka, Inui, and the doctor turned to look at Fuji, who had just drifted back into consciousness. 'First, you lose Sakuno-chan, who has to be the best secretary you've had, and then you pick up this Ryoko-chan who isn't even a girl.'

Inui's glasses flashed as he processed this information. 'Not even a girl?' he asked with a frown, his notebook suddenly in his hand.

Fuji attempted to sit himself up, but gave up after the doctor sent him a withering glance. 'Oh, fine, fine, I'll just speak like this,' Fuji said with a smile, his head on his pillow. He turned to Tezuka. 'But really, Tezuka. Your actions that day were not the actions of the usually composed Tezuka that we know and love,' Fuji continued, scolding. 'And look what's happened now!'

'This is a very nice conversation and all,' the doctor interrupted, 'but I do need to know the name of the young man in the room next door.'

'Meino Ryoma,' Fuji said without hesitating, and both Tezuka and Inui stared at him. 'That's his name,' Fuji continued, addressing the doctor, who nodded and left the room.

'Meino Ryoma?' Inui repeated after Fuji, looking perplexed. 'I was never told of this, Fuji.'

'That's because I just found out today,' Fuji replied cheerfully. 'What do you think I was doing with _Ryoma_-chan here all day, hm?'

Inui frowned and said in a voice close to a mutter, 'Something illegal.'

Fuji only chuckled. 'Oh, Inui, do you really think so?' he asked playfully.

Tezuka was quite unaware of the banter around him, however, his mind elsewhere, elsewhere being the room in which a certain greenish black haired boy was lying unconscious.

Suddenly standing up, Tezuka said, 'I'm going to check on Meino-san.'

Fuji chuckled again. 'Tezuka, don't worry. Ryoma-chan isn't going to die or anything.'

Tezuka repeated himself firmly. 'I'm going to check on Meino-san.'

An 'I'm sorry, but you can't right now, sir' was what halted Tezuka, this having been said by the doctor who had just returned. 'With Meino-san in his current condition, the only people allowed to visit him are his family.'

Tezuka opened his mouth to say something back to the doctor, but shut it when he realised he didn't know what he was supposed to say. He sat back down, feeling strangely like a wilted flower.

'But doctor,' Fuji persisted, a wide smile on his face, 'Tezuka here is as _close_ as it gets to being Meino's family, you know. Tezuka's been worried sick about Meino-chan, and I just don't think it's right to keep the two apart.'

Tezuka watched with horrified fascination as the doctor looked from Fuji to Tezuka with a look of dawning understanding of something that Tezuka didn't think was supposed to be understood. Pursing his lips, the doctor shook his head, albeit with a small smile. 'I suppose we can bend regulations just once, seeing as Meino-san has no other visitors. I'll show you to his room then, Tezuka-san.'

Before Tezuka could utter any protest, he found himself ushered out of the room, with the last thing he saw inside the room being Fuji's mischievous grin.

Tezuka's headache had just gotten worse.

xrx

'Tell me!' Shishido shouted for the umpteenth time, face red from anger, rage, and things of the like.

'I can't!' Choutarou seemed almost manic when he replied back, his voice wavering. 'Please, Shishido-san, just come back with me to the company building and I promise you, I'll tell you everything!'

'Why can't you just tell me now?' Shishido retorted. 'What's _wrong_ with you, Choutarou? You've always been honest and nice and everything - I thought I _knew_ you!'

'Please, Shishido-san,' Choutarou begged, 'I promise to be honest about everything if you just come back with me now.'

'And what's so important about going back now?' Shishido shouted. 'Something else you can't tell me? I've been asking you for _hours_, Choutarou - why couldn't you have just told me then?' Just tell me that you had nothing to do with it, Shishido's mind pleaded, tell me you had nothing to do with Fuji Yuuta's death.

There was a knock on the door that stopped Choutarou from answering, but nobody moved to open it.

The door clicked open to reveal a certain silver-haired trickster with an implacable smirk. 'Time's up, Chou-kun, Ryou-kun. So what shall you do now?'

'Time's up?' Shishido repeated dumbly, while Choutarou's expression changed from sad to extremely afraid.

Noticing Choutarou's change in expression, Shishido glared at him. 'What is it then? What else haven't you told me? What's happening?'

Niou snorted. 'Still haven't told him anything, Ohtori?'

'You're no better!' Shishido yelled back. 'You killed Fuji-kun!'

Niou stared right at Shishido and burst out laughing. 'You still believe that?'

Startled by Niou's sudden change of demeanour, Shishido said hesitantly, 'Yes?'

Niou just continued laughing. 'Oh, that's just rich. Spending hours in this room with the-'

'Shut up.' The voice was cold, quiet. 'Just shut up, Niou.'

Shishido and Niou both turned to Choutarou, his hands in tight fists. 'Don't you dare say anything,' Choutarou continued, his voice barely above a whisper.

Niou smirked. 'So what if I do? He was your first, wasn't he?'

'Just shut up!' Choutarou sounded almost crazed, his hands shaking violently.

'Oshitari would have done the job normally,' Niou stated matter-of-factly, walking closer to Choutarou, 'but Atobe had wanted you to prove your worth, right? It's a funny thing - the police chief was _my_ first, his assistant was yours. Quite the coincidence.'

'Please, please, just _shut up_,' Choutarou said quietly, changing his tactics. 'Please.'

'What's this about Oshitari?' Shishido pressed, but neither of the other two paid any attention to him.

'And after I did my job, dear Yuuta-kun just had to get in the way. "What have you done to Mizuki-san?" he'd shouted. Quite like you in that aspect, Shishido, always yelling,' Niou commented, but Shishido didn't rise to Niou's taunt. 'So of course I told him, and explained why I did it. And that was when you showed up, right, Chou-kun?

'I'm sure you weren't planning on doing it - you just had to strike a deal with Mizuki, right? And then with the assistant there knowing everything I had just told him...' Niou's voice faded, before he added maliciously, 'You know, Ohtori, that the dagger used to kill Mizuki was found in Yuuta-kun's body?'

Shishido's head was whirling with all the new information, and he stared, horrified, at Choutarou. 'You didn't actually- you didn't - were you there - did you?' he asked feebly, feeling as if he already knew the answer.

'He did.'

The voice was not of any of the three inside the room, but instead, a low, suave voice.

'And well, now you know.' Oshitari smirked at Shishido, pointing a handgun straight at Shishido's chest as he stood in the recently vacated doorway, with Gakuto looking far more serious than usual behind him. 'I really don't know how you got into Hyoutei's higher ring of employees in the first place - oh wait, Ohtori pulled the strings for you, right? Funny that Ohtori's the reason you're going to be leaving as well.'

He pulled the trigger.

xxx

White.

Everything was white. Even with his eyelids closed, there was light.

And everything was all too familiar. The starchy sheets, the bright fluorescent lights, the too flat pillow. Ryoma had been in countless hospital rooms, and didn't appreciate being in another one...

The explosion. Ryoma suddenly remembered the fiasco at the hotel, though his memory was a little but fuzzy, and wondered how Fuji was doing and why on earth there had been an explosion anyway. It was quite obviously that either he or Fuji or both of them had been the targets, but why? He had to get out of this mess before he actually lost his life.

His eyes still closed, Echizen Ryoma speculated over what it would be like to have a normal life.

'Ryoma.'

Ryoma had to be hallucinating, because he had just heard his name. The only people that knew his actual given name would be his cousin, Meino Nanako, his old employer, Atobe Keigo, and Yukimura Seiichi (and anybody else that Yukimura had decided to tell regardless of Ryoma wanting to let go of his old persona, of course, being _Yukimura_ and thus being a bastard).

'Meino Ryoma'

Now, it would be plain weird if Ryoma was hallucinating the same thing twice. He opened his eyes, very bright light suddenly flooded into his vision, and he blinked, a headache deciding that now would be a good time to join in on the fun.

Above him was a ceiling, and that couldn't possibly be the source of the voice. He glanced to his right. A window. To his left...

'Tezuka?' Ryoma rasped, making the man in question look actually surprised.

'I didn't think you were awake, Meino-san,' Tezuka said stiffly, looking oddly uncomfortable.

Ryoma sat up, the slight action immediately sending waves of pain through his body. Tezuka looked at him, frowning in a way that Ryoma assumed was to express concern. 'Ow,' Ryoma said for Tezuka's benefit, rather belatedly.

'You shouldn't move around,' Tezuka replied, quite redundantly in Ryoma's opinion. 'You're injured.'

'I know that,' Ryoma grumbled. 'You could have told me _before_ I sat up.'

Then, Ryoma's thoughts drifted back to the matter at hand. How would he ask whether Tezuka actually knew his name or not? Asking Tezuka to say Ryoma's full name, just out of the blue, would raise suspicions. And asking Tezuka what he had just said would make Ryoma sound crazy if Tezuka hadn't actually said anything.

'Is your name Meino Ryoma?' Tezuka questioned unexpectedly, halting Ryoma's thoughts.

Well, that made things easier. Ryoma's golden eyes narrowed in confusion. 'How do you know that?'

'Fuji.'

Ryoma reran the events of the previous night in his head. They had gone to the hotel, and then they had ordered food and wine... And that was probably the source of the headache and fuzzy memories.

'Why were you saying my name?' Ryoma said after a pause, and Tezuka looked away, as if embarrassed - which didn't make sense. What did Tezuka have to be embarrassed about?

'I just wanted to see how the name sounded.'

'Oh.'

The room fell back into a dull silence, though this time, it was more awkward.

'Could you turn off the lights?' Ryoma requested, making Tezuka glance at him. 'I have a headache,' Ryoma elucidated.

'Maybe I'm contagious,' Tezuka said in a flat tone. Ryoma stared at him, and Tezuka looked away again - was that a tinge of pink of his cheeks?

'I mean, I have a headache too,' Tezuka continued, standing up to turn off the lights. 'I'll... leave now.'

'Don't leave,' Ryoma immediately replied, flushing afterwards. What the hell was he saying? ...But he really didn't want to be left in the hospital room alone. Too many people left him and never came back, or came back when unwelcome.

The lights stayed on. 'You should get your rest,' Tezuka said, sounding a bit uncertain as he sat back down.

'Where's everybody else?' Ryoma asked blearily, which, for some reason, made Tezuka look a bit frazzled, which Ryoma hadn't thought possible.

'They're in the hallway or with Fuji.'

'Fuji was injured?' Ryoma asked suddenly, feeling rather guilty about not questioning Fuji's health earlier.

Tezuka nodded. 'Not gravely. You're in far worse condition than he.'

Ryoma yawned, which made Tezuka say at once, 'You need your rest. I'll-'

'Don't leave,' Ryoma reiterated, his voice tinted with a bit of a whine. 'I won't rest if you do.' Ryoma cursed at how childish he sounded after he spoke - what was he, twelve?

After a pregnant silence, Ryoma added hesitantly, not really meaning it, 'You don't have to stay if you don't want to.'

'I don't mind.'

Tezuka's voice was a comforting rumble, Ryoma decided, and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time.

xhx

Atobe sat at his desk, his fingers drumming a rhythm on the hard wood. As he looked out the window, he wondered how things were going.

Shishido would be a loss, Atobe thought, but not too much of one. He'd always had too much of a conscience to do anything _truly _useful, only there because he had an unexpectedly sharp mind for business. But brains were easy to come by - Atobe had only promoted Shishido because Ohtori had wanted him up at the top of the company with him, and Ohtori was somebody that Atobe couldn't get rid of.

The newest addition to his circle that was still living - it was a pity about Hiyoshi though - Ohtori had the heart of a weak angel - someone with enough morality to be blackmailed but not enough morality to stop himself from doing something that would make blackmail material. Plus, Ohtori had the face of an angel as well, and his smile was something that Atobe couldn't achieve, perfect for clinching deals and making people feel like they had done something great instead of something illegal.

Atobe had no doubt that Ohtori wouldn't be able to convince Shishido, Shishido having the stubbornness of a dumb ox. He only hoped that Oshitari was up to the job - Oshitari had been gaining a bit of a conscience lately, especially after the thing with Hiyoshi.

And then there was the wild card: Meino Ryoma, properly known as Echizen Ryoma - though Ryoma didn't know that Atobe knew about his past. Ryoma didn't know very much about anything, which was quite good for Atobe.

Ryoma held the key to everything, of course, though Atobe had never been able to find said 'key' - which was why Atobe had fired him. Atobe would never have fired Ryoma had he known that he'd end up, somehow, in Tezuka's clutches - Seishun was far more trouble than it was worth, though at least he had somebody there to keep watch.

Atobe only hoped that things would work out soon - he didn't have any intention of ending up like his own father:

Dead by the hand of Rikkai.

**x tsuzuku**

I had to have something in Atobe's point of view, so...there it is. I really would like to know your thoughts on this chapter - a lot of things have been happening, and I want to make sure that they still make some sort of sense. -awinchan


	15. Chapter 15

**antiTHESIS**

And here is the update, after a summer of no writing. XD This chapter is dedicated to Reso-chan, who urged me to write this chapter. xP But yes, here is the chapter. It might be a bit short since I rushed it a bit to get it out this weekend.

Thank you to the lovely Rain-chan, who beta-ed this and told me where it was awful so I could fix it. XD I've gotten rusty at writing after not writing for so long, so please, please, do mention anything that bothers you with this chapter in a review.

edit: Thank you to cei-chan for catching yet another mistake, as she does so often XD

**x numbers not adding up to the appropriate sums  
**

_'Oi, brat!'_

_So used to his father calling him in this fashion, Ryoma ran to their backyard, where his father was standing. Ryoma glared at his father insolently. 'What?'_

_'Don't be so rude to your dear old dad!' Nanjiroh messed up Ryoma's hair, which rather displeased him. He'd taken to wearing it long, since he'd been told by Seiichi-senpai that it looked nice. It was so hard to comb neatly though. He didn't have Seiichi's ability to make everything look wonderful without trying._

_'I don't see my dear old dad anywhere,' Ryoma grumbled, combing through his hair with his thin fingers. 'I just see an old pervert.'_

_'Hey, show some more respect to your old man!' Nanjiroh squawked indignantly. 'But anyway. Here. Happy birthday.'_

_'My birthday's in December,' Ryoma replied bluntly, wondering if his dad had gone insane as Nanjiroh handed him a wooden pendant._

_'Early birthday present than,' Nanjiroh said with a shrug, slipping the circle of string around Ryoma's neck, so that it overlapped with the other wooden pendant Ryoma was wearing. 'Don't take it off.'_

_'What?'_

_'It's...' Nanjiroh paused. 'For good luck,' he finished. 'Don't ever take it off. Here, hand me your old one.'_

_Ryoma shrugged, as his father had done moments before, taking off the pendant his dad had given him a couple of years back. 'Whatever.'  
_

xrx

Confusion.

That was the main emotion he was feeling, above the anger - Choutarou had deceived him - and sadness - why had Choutarou been the one to kill Yuuta? How could Choutarou have killed _anybody_, for that matter? Shishido's mind was a blur, confused, even as the gunshot resonated around him, seeming to shake the very room he was in.

Which was strange. He'd have thought that the thing at the top of his mind after being shot at would be pain. It had happened so fast that he hadn't actually realised what was happening until after the bullet had been shot. And he was still thinking rather coherently, if he discounted the muddle his mind was in.

Maybe his mind just hadn't caught up with his body yet.

'Shishido-san, are you okay?'

Shishido was shaken out of his thoughts as Choutarou, standing less than a metre away from him in the small room, started speaking frantically, raising his hands, as if to touch Shishido to make sure he was fine. Shishido immediately glared and backed off. 'Don't touch me, you murderer,' he spat out. 'How could you have killed Yuuta?'

'The more pressing question is perhaps why you aren't dead,' a voice drawled slowly, and Shishido's attention was brought back to the silver-haired trickster, who had one eyebrow raised. 'Perhaps you should be leaving before Oshitari and his lackey wake up?'

'Wake up?' Shishido asked dumbly. He looked at the two people Niou had just mentioned, and noticed that they were indeed on the floor, unconscious.

Niou shrugged slightly and then grimaced, as if the very gesture pained him. 'I decided that I might as well incapacitate them while I still had the chance. Why not get rid of some Hyoutei employees while I can, right?' He bent over slowly, reaching for Oshitari's handgun.

'What are you doing?' Shishido demanded, staring accusingly at Niou's fingers.

Niou snorted. 'Do you expect me to leave them alive? I'm a marksman. It's kind of my job to...' His voice trailed off as he let Shishido's imagination fill in the rest of the words.

'But-' Shishido's protests were given to deaf ears, as Niou simply rolled his eyes.

'Well, Ryou-kun,' Niou said, as he looked at his bare wrist, 'I suppose I've got to run. You really should get away from Ohtori here though, and these two guys too.' He kicked the two fainted men lightly. 'Perhaps I'll see you again? We seem to meet very often.'

Niou walked right up to Choutarou with a detached expression. 'You better hope I never meet you again,' he said quietly, 'or you will be dead before you know it.' His voice was deadly, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as he said it.

And then his smirk was firmly back in place. With a cheery 'don't fight now, children', Niou was out the door, and only then did Shishido see the blood blossoming on Niou's right shoulder.

'He took your shot,' Choutarou said almost inaudibly, in a voice that had a tinge of sadness and awe.

And Shishido heard Choutarou's unspoken words - 'I never could have done that.'

'I should go,' Shishido muttered. 'Since my colleagues seem to be trying to kill me.' And then he paused. 'Why?'

'Atobe-san,' Choutarou said, still in his soft voice. 'They were his orders.'

'But why?' Shishido said in anguish. 'Oshitari, wasn't he like, Atobe's advisor or something? And Gakuto was Oshitari's _secretary_, or something like it? Why are they trying to _kill _me?'

'You should keep your voice low,' Choutarou informed him, 'or the two might wake up.'

Shishido glared but complied. In a quieter tone, he asked bitterly, 'Are you supposed to kill me too?'

'I was trying to save you,' Choutarou said with finality. Shishido took it to mean that Choutarou had given up. 'I was trying to bring you back to the company. But you just had to _ask_ about everything, Shishido-san. If you had just listened to me, Oshitari-san never would have tried to shoot you.'

'But _I still don't understand why people are trying to kill me_!' Shishido exploded, and then realised his error when Oshitari grumbled into the floor.

'Sorry,' he mouthed at Choutarou, out of reflex, making Choutarou smile slightly, though his smile disappeared right after.

'I can't explain to you,' Choutarou said, despondent, 'but can you please just trust me? Go to another hotel. Stay low for a couple of months. Things should have blown over by then. Please, Shishido-san-'

'Why should I _trust you_?' Shishido whispered angrily. 'You've done nothing to keep my trust that I had given to you unconditionally, so why should I continue giving it to you? _You killed Fuji Yuuta!_'

'It was unavoidable, Shishi-'

'What do you mean _unavoidable_?' Shishido continued whispering, his sentences short and vicious. 'How can _murder_ be unavoidable? How could I have _loved you_?' Shishido's last sentence was even more dangerous than the others.

Shishido just shook his head, before Choutarou could begin to speak. 'I'm leaving. Do whatever the hell you want, Chou- Ohtori, but just leave me the fuck alone.'

xxx

A few minutes after Shishido had left, another person entered the room. 'Ah, Ohtori Choutarou. I didn't expect to see you still here. But I suppose the more the merrier.'

Choutarou's eyes flashed with fear. 'You-'

And then the room went dark.

xsx

'Everything's gone!'

In the quiet hospital room, this outburst was extremely unexpected, waking Ryoma from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes shakily, his body still not fully healed. The voice sounded vaguely familiar... was it Inui?

'Please, Tezuka, this is no time for your naps.' Ryoma then noticed Tezuka's presence on the wooden chair next to his bed - had he been there the whole time? He looked around slowly, not moving his body. He could see Fuji and Inui standing at the door of his hospital room, right beside the plastic potted plant.

Inui, who had been the one to shout at the beginning, repeated himself. 'Everything's _gone_, Tezuka. Everything.'

Tezuka blinked, his glasses still on, though they were slightly askew, and frowned. 'What do you mean, Inui?' He raised one hand to fix his glasses, making Ryoma smile to himself.

Ryoma's mind, however, was still groggy, which didn't help in letting him follow the conversation. He closed his eyes, hoping to get some more sleep. The conversation could go on without him.

'I mean that our base has been completely emptied. Our prisoner's gone as well,' Inui explained, his frown even deeper than Tezuka's, from what Ryoma could make of it from his spot on the bed. 'All our information - all the backups that I'd stored - it's gone. We need to find a new base.' His displeasure came through quite clearly in his tone, despite his wide smile. Ryoma shivered even underneath his covers.

'All of our tracking information,' Fuji added, 'is completely wiped. And the technology we'd used to track is gone too - Rikkai must have gotten it when you all foolishly came to the hospital and left one of its members there unattended.'

Tezuka then asked, 'Hyoutei will not be happy with this predicament - have they been contacted?'

'Momo and Kaidoh informed them,' Inui responded. 'Hyoutei said that they expect no setbacks, and are willing to supply us with whatever technology is needed to deliver Rikkai to them, in full.' Ryoma, not in a particularly kind mood, wondered why Hyoutei didn't just go get Rikkai themselves if they had all the technology.

'All the technology?' Fuji asked, surprised. 'I wasn't aware that anybody had technology as sophisticated as yours, Inui.'

Ryoma sat up at this moment, rubbing at his eyes, wincing only slightly at the pain. 'Can't you just go back to the place where I was at? Isn't Rikkai stationed there or something?'

'Ryoma-chan,' Fuji said in a patient-yet-not-really tone, 'Rikkai will undoubtedly have moved by now, since it's obvious we know where they are and we're more desperate to catch them than we were before.' Ryoma really didn't appreciate being condescended to, and was about to rebuke when somebody did it for him.

'It couldn't hurt to check,' Tezuka said suddenly, making all eyes turn to him, Ryoma's very surprised golden ones included. Tezuka's gaze never left Fuji's face, as if he was checking for a sign.

Fuji replied, completely calm, 'Tezuka, are you even thinking about what you're saying?'

'It couldn't hurt,' he said again in a firm voice without pausing, and in anybody other than Tezuka, it would have sounded obstinate.

Ryoma couldn't explain away the flutter in his chest when he realised Tezuka was defending him.

Inui pushed up his glasses, and flipped through one of his numerous notebooks. 'Statistically, there is less than zero point one percent chance that Rikkai wouldn't have changed locations by now.'

Sometimes, Ryoma really wanted to stuff Inui's notebooks into his mouth. Zero point one percent chance - how did he even come up with his numbers anyway?

Fuji looked thoughtful. 'But we have missed a lot in the Rikkai world. They seem to be having some internal troubles as well.'

When nobody said anything, Fuji elucidated. 'I wouldn't call it mutiny, but some of the members are not happy about the death they've suffered.'

'Kuwahara Jackal?' Inui asked, sounding taken aback. 'But that death was quite a while back, wasn't it? Nobody ever found the murderer either.'

Ryoma had a strange inkling that he'd heard the name before, though he wasn't sure where. Jackal... His mind had to start working properly _soon_ or he'd go insane.

Fuji paused, and then a slight frown appeared on his delicate features. 'Inui, this was information that I'd found in one of your notebooks. I'd have expected you to known this.'

'I apologise, Fuji,' Inui replied stiffly. Ryoma thought that he seemed annoyed that his information was being used against him, and with very good reason. 'I have been having a bit of trouble keeping track of things today, what with our technology loss and all.' Then, his tone was more accusatory. 'When did you get one of my notebooks?'

'Oh, I just flipped through one,' Fuji replied offhandedly, 'but that's not the point, is it? Maybe, in all this turmoil, they'd have forgotten. Let's give Tezuka's darling secretary a chance to redeem himself a bit, and maybe Eiji and myself won't have to dispose of him if he turns out to know too much that he shouldn't.' He smiled at Ryoma widely, and Ryoma felt like impending doom was heading his way.

And he couldn't get away from it.

xhx

Atobe was not amused. He had lost, in the span of a few hours, three members of his top circle. All he had left was Kabaji, who was more of a servant than actual help in matters, and Jirou, his secretary - and he wasn't going to let him be subject to all of the things that he'd done.

He couldn't do that to Jirou.

He sat in his office, on his dark leather chair. He spun it around to actually stare at Jirou's sleeping figure, resting on the armchair a little ways away from Atobe's desk, which was so neat and clean and exactly the opposite of Atobe's life at the moment. There was a single wineglass on the table, which Atobe had gotten Kabaji to pour some white wine into earlier in the day, thinking he'd need it. He needed it now.

There wasn't much chance of him getting either Oshitari or Gakuto back, really. Rikkai wouldn't be too happy with the two of them. Ohtori, on the other hand, was a wild card. Rikkai might have kept him alive simply as a hostage.

Atobe did wonder what had happened to Shishido though. He expected that Shishido wouldn't be quite happy with him now.

Though, he wasn't very happy with Shishido either. Atobe certainly wouldn't be giving the raise that he'd promised Shishido a while back.

He raised the glass of wine to his mouth and took a sip, savouring the taste and trying to relax, to forget, just for a moment, his worries. He closed his eyes and wondered what life would have been like for him if he'd not followed his father into the business after his father's unexpected death. Atobe had been so young when he'd taken on the mantle, and shown nothing bad for it.

But maybe things were showing now.

'Keiiiiigo?'

Jirou's voice crooned from the armchair, Jirou's sleepy head cocked. 'What are you thinking about?'

'The company's stocks,' Atobe replied back with a gentle smile, the one reserved only for Jirou. He rested his dark blue eyes on Jirou's visage, which was so _innocent_.

'Anything I can do to help?' Jirou sat up straight, eager to lend a hand.

Atobe shook his head, but regretted it after seeing Jirou slump visibly. 'Actually, could you just help me type up a few things?'

Jirou immediately took the proffered written notes from Atobe's hands - notes that Atobe had written prior to all these events for the sake of giving Jirou something to do - and ran out of the room.

Sighing, Atobe closed his eyes again, wondering when things had started slipping out of hand.

At least he still had one ace, right in the midst of Seigaku's employees.

'Kabaji?'

'Usu.'

His butler - he'd been with Atobe for years now, since before his father had died - stepped out of the shadows, saying as little as needed, as per usual. It was helpful. Atobe didn't need some snarky advisor telling him how badly he was doing his job.

'Please contact Inui Sadaharu, and remind him that if he doesn't hurry a bit up with his capturing of Rikkai, his _friend_ won't be in our custody for much longer.'

xrx

'Why'd you have to go and get yourself shot, Niou?'

His usual partner-in-crime - though they'd be going on more separate missions recently - sounded exasperated. 'You could have just gone in and gunned them all done, couldn't you? You do that all the time.'

'Didn't think you'd be so crude and call what I do "gunning", Hiro,' Niou said with a smirk, making Yagyuu Hiroshi look at him disapprovingly through his glasses. The two of them were sitting on a bench, Yagyuu trying to fix up Niou's wound. They were in the infirmary, alone, since they didn't actually have a doctor. Yagyuu was the usual fix-me-up person for the scrapes that Rikkai got into.

'Don't call me that, and _don't _change the subject.' Yagyuu finished off the bandaging, and patted Niou's shoulder with a bit more force than needed.

Niou immediately winced. 'What are you trying to do? I just stopped bleeding!'

Yagyuu ignored him. 'Why didn't you just kill them?'

'I figured that our shachou would want to take care of them himself,' Niou said flippantly. 'And he is, right?'

'That is not the point, Niou,' Yagyuu said, the frown on his face prominent. 'You put yourself into danger purposely. Why?'

Niou shrugged, the smirk on his face growing. 'Why not?' He slung an arm - though not the arm with the injured shoulder - around Yagyuu casually. 'I have you to fix me up, don't I?' Niou waggled his eyebrows in what was supposed to be a suggestive manner, which only made Yagyuu sigh.

'I don't understand the need for such innuendos, Niou,' Yagyuu said clinically. 'It's improper.'

'Well, not everyone's a gentleman like you, Hiro-'

'Don't call me that,' Yagyuu interrupted, making Niou grin.

Stretching his arms out behind him, Niou commented, 'Niou, one, Yagyuu, zero.'

'Pardon?'

'I made you interrupt me,' Niou said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. 'Which is, in case you don't know, horribly rude, you know.'

Yagyuu sighed again, and put his face close to Niou's shoulder, inspecting the bandages. Ignoring Niou's latest remark, he said professionally, 'These should hold as long as you don't do something stupid, Niou.'

'And you think I will?' Niou said indignantly, crossing his arms.

Yagyuu stared at Niou, clearly sceptical.

'...Um, am I interrupting something?'

The two of them turned to see a very out-of-place Shishido, who was staring at them with eyes the size of platters.

Niou viscerally shifted away from Yagyuu, so he was more than five centimetres away from him. 'No, not really,' he drawled. 'But what are you doing here?'

'You took the shot for me,' Shishido stated, almost as a question, like he still couldn't believe it.

Yagyuu uttered a sound that was a cross between a squawk and a 'what'.

'When did this happen?' Yagyuu asked, eyes x-raying Niou in a way that he thought was rather unpleasant. 'So _that's_ how you got your shoulder injury. I suppose that is why you were so unusually diffident, Niou. Didn't want to tell me about your _heroics_?' Yagyuu sounded unusually vitriolic, the word 'heroics' said with far more emotion than he usually let show.

Niou stared at his partner - no, his friend, completely shocked with how he was acting. 'Didn't want you to think I was going soft, you know,' Niou replied casually, his ears listening attentively to Yagyuu for any other nuances.

'I'll just...be on my way then,' Shishido mumbled, only to be cut off by Niou.

'Nah, you don't have to leave,' Niou said, staring at Yagyuu for approval. 'Unless you're afraid one of us is going to kill you. Then it might be prudent to leave.'

'Yes, it might be prudent to leave,' Yagyuu said politely with a tinge of humour, and Shishido smiled, obviously thinking that Yagyuu had somehow approved of him.

Niou knew better. He couldn't _not_ hear Yagyuu's underlying tone of murderous intent.

'Why don't I take you to Yukimura, Shishido?' Niou said quickly. 'Since I'm sure you want to know what the hell is happening around here, and -' here he smirked again, but only for show '- _we_ wouldn't want you to get lost, would we?' He smiled at Yagyuu, Niou's eyes searching for the reason why Yagyuu was so _irate_.

'Yes, why don't you run off with your friend then?' Yagyuu said, in the same polite tone. The tone he usually used when he and Niou were out on one of their _assignments_.

'Yes, I will,' Niou said, defiant. Who was Yagyuu to dictate what he could and couldn't do anyway? He stood up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder when he'd done so, and grabbed Shishido by the hand. 'Let's go.'

Shishido, looking absolutely bewildered, followed Niou nonetheless, with only a slight tugging on his hand.

Niou noticed faintly, beneath his tumultuous thoughts about Yagyuu and why he was acting like an _ass_, that Shishido's hand fit rather nicely in his own.

xxx

In a dark room somewhere, one man was tied to a chair. He hadn't eaten for days, and his mouth was completely dry. His right hand was itching for something to write with, but it was tied to his left hand behind the chair's back.

There was only one thought in his mind as he tried feebly to stay awake, for just a little while longer:

Sadaharu would be along soon enough to save him.

**x tsuzuku**

And a new plot twist? This story is full of so many twists I'm not sure how I'm supposed to straighten it out. xD But yes. Reviews please, especially if you have suggestions? -awinchan


	16. Chapter 16

**antiTHESIS**

An update! How phenomenal. I'm sorry it's taken me so long. As well, I will not be returning to my regular updating schedule just yet; I can't seem to get on track with this story, so I don't want to make any promises I will have to break.

But here is an update. I promised to update before the end of the year, so here is a chapter~. Please, do enjoy.

edit: It seems that if you reviewed on my previous author's note, you won't be able to review here, so if you'd like to drop a review, could you please either review on a previous chapter which you haven't reviewed or send a PM my way? XD

editedit: Thank you to Kat-Sakura and glaiget5 for pointing out a mistake XD

**x a hint of betrayal by unfaithful data**

_Ryoma had been returning home, a book in his hands as he read. It was the latest novel by one of his favourite authors, and as absolutely engrossing as all the others had been. Even as he walked towards his doorstep, his eyes never left the page._

_At least, until the book had been torn out of his hands. _

_Ryoma looked up bewilderedly, trying to find the culprit. Spotting him, he said, 'You're the man from before!' Though he wouldn't usually greet somebody who had taken a book out of his hands so politely, the mere shock of seeing the man who he hadn't seen for a while stopped his usual snarky comments._

_And indeed he was, though their first meeting had been so long ago. With the same kind smile, long fingers, but greyer hair, it was the same man that had taken a book out of his hands years ago. _

_'What are you doing?' Ryoma asked, when the man didn't reply. _

_'Where's your father?' the grey-haired man asked, making Ryoma frown. Even Ryoma with his limited manners knew that you weren't supposed to answer questions with questions. _

_'Out,' Ryoma said offhandedly. 'Why?'_

_'Out?' the man repeated. 'I'll wait then. Why don't you tell me a few things__, Echizen Ryoma?'_

_Ryoma stuck out his hand. 'I'd like my book back first.'_

_The man obliged, handing Ryoma the book. 'Now. What do you know about the Seishun Agency?'_

xsx

'I think this is a complete waste of time.'

Fuji's voice was nonchalant, but the way he was staring at Ryoma made him rather uncomfortable - sort of like being submerged into ice-cold water and then being attacked by sharks, really. Ryoma couldn't say he really liked the feeling.

'Fuji,' Tezuka said warningly, making Fuji shrug in return, eyes closed once more and a smile on his face.

Ryoma just turned to face the car window, and watched the raindrops sliding down the glass. Ryoma couldn't find words to describe it, but the motion was somewhat soothing in its strangely rhythmic way.

It didn't take much away from the tense mood in the limousine though.

Eiji was in the front, driving the limo, but Ryoma could see his red head as the partition to block off the driver from the passengers wasn't up. As usual, Eiji wasn't paying much attention to traffic guidelines, and it made Ryoma rather sick to the stomach.

Momo, Kaidoh, and Inui were in another car, so that they could drive in another direction. This way, if one limo was spotted, the other one would hopefully be missed and at least one team would get in.

Oishi was back at headquarters, trying to fix everything up - Ryoma almost envied him - but just almost. He wouldn't want to be the one that had to figure out what could be salvaged and what had to be completely rebuilt and such; Ryoma was sure that Rikkai wouldn't have been too forgiving to the building, especially if that silver-haired guy had been the person taking the technology.

'I wonder about Inui though,' Fuji pondered aloud. 'He was a bit too surprised when I mentioned data from his notebook. As if there was something in there he hadn't wanted me to see, if you get my drift, Tezuka.'

Tezuka stared at Fuji with grave eyes, but said nothing, letting Fuji continue. 'I'm also not sure of how Hyoutei would be able to supply us with all the technology we need, since Inui made most of it. Hyoutei would have to have Inui's technology themselves, and he's never mentioned anything about such a transaction.'

'What do you propose we do?' Tezuka's voice was firm. Ryoma was surprised that he didn't even ask if Fuji had any proof - Tezuka just trusted that Fuji's opinion was fact. Tezuka had to trust Fuji a lot, Ryoma realised, and he wasn't sure why he wasn't too happy with that knowledge.

'Find out what he's doing,' Fuji replied simply, smiling again, though his smile was far too malicious for his angelic face. 'Why don't you dispatch me to Hyoutei? I won't need Eiji on this mission. Just let me have a look around, and I'm sure I'll dig _something_ up.'

It was all too much for Ryoma - the subtle language, the hint of possible betrayal - and he found himself dozing off, falling into a deep sleep once more, with dreams of dark nights and backstabbers.

xrx

'Where am I?'

'Don't say anything,' Niou replied cheerfully, gun out and pointing straight at the white-haired man's forehead, 'or I'll shoot. And you know I will, right, Chou-kun?'

Niou was not pleased at all. Why was he being assigned to the menial tasks again? Just 'cause he had gotten shot in the shoulder didn't mean he couldn't do anything, dammit - it was his right shoulder too, and he was fucking left-handed. He could still shoot fine.

But Yukimura had said that Niou had to stay behind with the prisoners, since Niou was good at that sort of thing and blah blah blah, and shachou always knew best so here Niou was, stuck watching the Hyoutei lackeys.

'I don't suppose you'd let us go?'

Oshitari's voice, sophisticated as always, was nevertheless strained. Probably because Niou had kicked him in the stomach. Niou didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.

'Yeah, of course I will,' Niou responded, rolling his eyes. 'And then I'll go buy you a pony, okay? And I'll buy a pony for your partner there too so your ponies can be friends.'

'Don't talk to us like we're stupid!' This outcry was from Mukahi, and Niou snorted aloud.

'Would you prefer I talked to you like you were retarded?' Niou asked, smirking. He pointed his gun at Mukahi now. 'Or would you rather I let my gun do the talking?'

'This sounds like dialogue from an action movie,' Oshitari commented, looking bored and not at all frightened by Niou's threat. Damn. The trickster had been hoping for some sort of reaction from the bespectacled gentleman, but he wasn't letting Niou have the pleasure.

'Are you going to kill us?' Ohtori asked quietly, his whole body trembling, though Niou wasn't sure whether it was from fear or from cold.

Niou shrugged. 'It's not my choice to make, though if it was, you would all be dead. But maybe not Oshitari-kun there,' Niou added with a nod. 'I kind of like you.'

Oshitari simply replied with a gracious nod, and Mukahi rolled his eyes. 'Stop flirting with Yuushi,' he complained, even though he didn't really look like he minded. Funny that he could be so casual with his guard, though none of them were really acting like the usual captives and captor, except perhaps Ohtori.

'What are you keeping us here for?' Oshitari asked, one eyebrow cocked. 'I thought that you would have killed me and Gakuto already, since we're the ones liable for the murder of your friend and all.'

'Jackal?' Niou said in the same casual manner. 'It's in the past. I kill your friends, you kill mine. We're just minor chess pieces in this game anyway; Yukimura only has a problem with your king.'

'What about Atobe-san?' Ohtori asked sharply.

Niou smirked. 'Nothing for you to worry about, dear.' Turning back to Oshitari, he finished, 'I'm just here to slow you guys down. How else would Seishun catch up?'

Oshitari sighed, and used one hand to push up his glasses. A hand that was supposed to be tied up. Niou moved his gun slowly towards Oshitari.

'Easy now,' Oshitari said with the same smirk that Niou had had moments earlier. 'I'm not planning on doing anything. Can't say that I can beat you, even with my hands free. My feet are still tied to the chair, you know.'

He added another sigh, though this one was more theatrical. 'I don't think it's quite fair though, with you on Seishun's side. Seishun is practically useless on its own, especially since Hyoutei's there to "help" them. And I do like to be on the winning side.'

'Hyoutei there to help them?' Niou asked, suspicious. 'You talking about Inui?'

'So you knew,' Oshitari remarked. 'Well, either way, Rikkai is clearly the winning side. I think I'd like to jump the bandwagon.'

'Yuushi!' Mukahi exclaimed, staring at his colleague.

Oshitari smiled. 'I'm fond of winning, and I can't say that the orders of our king have been particularly affable as of late.' He stuck out his hand for a handshake. 'Niou Masaharu. What would you like to know?'

xhx

'Kabaji, wine,' Atobe ordered. 'Red, please.'

The manservant immediately poured out a glass of wine, and handed it to Atobe, who took it without a word, downing the glass at once. 'Just give me the damn bottle,' Atobe then said, using uncharacteristically colloquial language. Kabaji obeyed though, and Atobe drunk the whole bottle in one go, his dark blue eyes watching the liquid in the bottle disappear.

Closing his eyes, he sighed. The situation he was in was unusual for him - usually he was the one on top of everything. 'Why has everything gone wrong, Kabaji? Oshitari and Mukahi must be dead by now, and Ohtori is just a liability. Shishido's deferred to the other side, and Jirou's all but useless in such a situation anyway. That's my whole inner circle, gone, and I have a feeling that Seishun is catching on.'

Kabaji said nothing, simply leaving the room. Atobe hoped he was going to get more wine.

'Maybe Seishun will complete their end of the deal before they realise what's happening though,' Atobe pondered aloud. 'And if not, I can find another marksman to deal with them. Somebody less changeable than Oshitari is - or was, and I can just make a deal with Fudoumine.'

'Or, perhaps, you can tell me everything that's going on,' a cool voice said, and with the cool voice came a cool feeling on Atobe's temple. A recognisable feeling. It came from being in the business for too long, Atobe supposed.

And once again, Atobe had a gun pressed to his temple.

'Ah, Fuji-kun,' Atobe said with a sigh, frown marks between his eyebrows. 'Trust you to come in the middle of my confession speech.'

xsx

The first thing that Ryoma noticed upon waking up was that the limousine had stopped moving. He decided that this could only be a good thing, because that meant that Eiji wasn't driving any more and consequently meant that Ryoma hadn't died from some car crash.

The next thing Ryoma noticed was that he had been leaning against Tezuka in his slumber, and he wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not - he couldn't see Tezuka's face from his position, so he couldn't tell if his employer was displeased or not. All he knew was that it was rather comfortable, and he didn't really want to move his head away.

'You're awake.'

Damn. Tezuka knew - he'd been hoping that he would be able to rest for a bit longer, pretending to still be asleep. Ryoma grudgingly sat upright and turned to Tezuka, mumbling out an incoherent 'sorry'. Ryoma's mouth hadn't caught up with his brain just yet, and wasn't too capable of proper speech, it seemed.

'Where's Fuji?' Ryoma asked, noticing the absence of the brunet.

'Hyoutei,' Tezuka replied shortly. His eyes were focussed on a small technological device in his hands. There was a screen and a few buttons, with a flashing light in the middle of the screen. Ryoma could make no sense of it.

Then, Ryoma noticed the absence of Eiji as well - nobody was sitting at the wheel.

In a sudden epiphany, Ryoma realised that he and Tezuka were the only ones in the vehicle.

Ryoma found this strangely comforting, and he decided that he might as well get some more sleep, if there was nothing for him to do.

However, this was not to be. Before Ryoma could slip into blissful sleep, a strange beeping sound started emitting from the device in Tezuka's hand.

Tezuka pushed a button on it, making the sound stop. He opened the door and got out of the limo, stepping outside carefully. Most everything he did was careful. Offering a hand to Ryoma, he said in his low voice, 'We have to go.'

Ryoma stared at the hand, not sure what he was supposed to do with it. It was rather in the way - he couldn't get out of the limo while it was still there.

After a polite cough, Tezuka suggested, 'You could take the hand.'

Flushing, Ryoma grabbed Tezuka's hand a bit more tightly than he should of and got out with Tezuka's help. 'Thank you,' he said gruffly, though he really wasn't sure that he needed it - even if he _looked _it, he wasn't really a girl.

The two stood in the forest for a while before Tezuka said, 'You can let go now.'

Ryoma dropped the hand immediately, and said hastily, 'Where do we have to go?'

Looking at the device once more, Tezuka pointed in front of him, where Ryoma could spot a short building through the trees. Tezuka started walking without another word, and Ryoma jogged a bit to keep up with his long strides.

Neither said anything more, so instead, Ryoma entertained himself with thoughts of how much tallere Tezuka was than Ryoma. Ryoma didn't even reach Tezuka's head - he hadn't seemed as tall before, but then Ryoma had been wearing heels all the other times. Even on tiptoe, Ryoma wouldn't be the same height as Tezuka - the only way their heads would be at the same level would be if Tezuka bent down.

Ryoma shook his head. What was he thinking? It wasn't as if there would be a situation where they would have to be at the same height anyway. He decided to focus on his jogging instead, wondering where his feet would take him.

xrx

'So this was all for one computer file?'

Niou was incredulous. All this killing, all this fuss, over one stupid file?

Nevertheless, Oshitari nodded. 'It is very important to Atobe, it seems. I'm not sure of the exact contents, but it probably has to do with some sort of scandal. Probably with his dead father - there's a lot of mystery around his death.'

'It can't be important enough to kill off people,' Niou said, angry. 'What did it have to do with us?'

Oshitari smirked. 'I suppose _your_ king would know - did you think you were privy to all his secrets? I bet even his second-in-command doesn't know. Yukimura Seiichi is perhaps more mysterious than Atobe and the file he wants. You don't know anything about his past - where he came from, who he is, what he did before he started up your little renegade group. You don't even know if that's his real name.'

Niou shrugged. 'So? He's doing a good job, and that's all that matters, right?' He spun his gun around his finger. 'Thank you, I suppose. I'll have to relay the information to the supreme commander, of course, though somehow, I have a feeling he already knows.'

Oshitari nodded. 'The child of God would know everything.'

Niou's eyes narrowed. 'What?' Child of God? What was that supposed to mean?

Mukahi snorted. 'Are you two _done yet_? I'm getting bored sitting here, you know. Not much to do in this dump.'

Before Niou could answer, however, the door slammed open to reveal two tall men. 'Hey!' one shouted, pointing at Niou with a pistol. 'Drop your weapon!'

'As if,' Niou snorted. 'So Seishun's finally shown up, hm? You're... Momoshiro and Kaidoh, right? Always the dynamic duo.'

'Don't lump me in with him!' the two said together, though then they spared a moment to glare at each other.

'And drop your weapon!' the spiky-haired one repeated - this one was Momoshiro, if Niou recalled correctly. Niou complied, carefully keeping the other pistol in his back pocket out of sight. His gun fell to the ground, the sound echoing in the small room.

'So what are you here for?' Niou drawled. 'Come to pick up the Hyoutei friends?'

'You trashed our base,' Momo shouted accusingly. Kaidoh added an angry hiss for emphasis.

Niou started. 'What? No I didn't,' Niou replied, frowning. And he actually hadn't - all he'd done was put a few tracking devices through the software, to check up on what they were doing, though he wasn't going to tell them that.

'Then who did it?' Momo demanded, glaring at the silver-haired man like he was lying (and he wasn't, for once).

'How the hell am I supposed to know?' Niou retorted, stretching casually.

'Keep your hands down,' Kaidoh hissed, and Niou just laughed.

'What, afraid I'm going to stretch my way out of this situation?' Niou asked, smirking.

'Our boss will be here soon,' Momo said with a tone of superiority, 'and then you'll get it, yeah.'

'Your boss,' Niou said flatly, 'couldn't lay a _hand_ on me. Honestly, what's with this blind faith in leaders? Seishun and Hyoutei both.'

'We'll get you out of here,' Momo added to Oshitari and co, making Niou snort - really, the guy was an _idiot_. Hyoutei was just using Seishun and they didn't even know. Of course, Rikkai didn't really care enough to tell Seishun that; they had other problems to deal with.

'Well, let's wait,' Niou said casually. 'Let's see when your boss Tezuka shows up. Let's see what he does.'

And they waited.

But Tezuka never showed.

xsx

'Are you sure this is the right way?' Ryoma asked, sceptical. They had been walking for quite a bit now - really, they should have just _driven_ - yet they hadn't reached their destination. Somewhere along the way, they had lost sight of the short building, and Tezuka's constant staring at the machine in his hands instead of where they were supposed to be _going_ was none too assuring.

Tezuka only nodded, still looking at the machine, though he had a frown on his face. After a few more minutes, he spoke.

'I've followed this map exactly, yet we're going nowhere,' Tezuka said quietly. 'I think we should try and return to the limousine.'

'How?' Ryoma replied, irritated, his voice a bit louder than it would have been normally. 'We don't exactly know where that is.'

'Could you be a bit quieter, please, Meino-san?' Tezuka said, in an even quieter voice than before. 'I think that we might be in trouble.'

'What trouble?' Ryoma said, frowning as well now. His whole secretarial gig (could he even still be called a _secretary_?) had been just a whole bunch of trouble - surely it couldn't get any worse than it was now.

And then something suddenly grazed his shoulder - a very familiar dart - and he slumped to the floor. The world was suddenly spinning, and coloured differently than he was used to. He could hear Tezuka shout - vaguely, he tried to remember if he'd ever heard Tezuka _shout_ before - but before he could actually register the words, he blacked out.

It had just gotten worse.

xxx

The room was quiet. It was almost always quiet.

But then there a new development - the door opened. He would have tried to get up and run out if he didn't know it was futile - there was zero percent chance that he would have made it anyway. Instead, he watched as a young man was thrown into the cell. The door closed with a loud bang.

To alert the newcomer of his presence, he asked quietly, 'Who's there?' He winced; his voice was scratchy and his throat was too. He hadn't spoken for a rather long time.

The young man didn't answer his question, instead asking, 'Where am I? Who are you?'

He figured that he might as well answer the questions - the man might be more forthcoming with information if he did so. 'You're in the Hyoutei holding room, and my name is Yanagi Renji.'

**x tsuzuku**

And there is the chapter. I'm sorry nothing much happened - nothing much seems to happen at all in general, but this chapter is a linking chapter to what happens next, so it's necessary D:

Please review - tell me what you thought of this chapter. Interesting? Boring? Far too short for such a long gap in updates? Whatever you think, drop a review, please! -awinchan


	17. wherein awinchan is not hilarious

**antiTHESIS**

Okay, sorry about the delay (and the further delay that will follow this pseudo-chapter). I am putting this on hiatus until further notice, because I feel that a rewriting of antiTHESIS is completely and utterly necessary if I am to continue. Explanations will be below in the pseudo-chapter, since it is illegal and such to post just an author's note, but if you don't feel like reading the fake, just scroll down to the bottom to read my reasoning, please?

And now, may I present...

The antiTHESIS dressing room!

**x wherein awinchan attempts to explain her hiatus with an attempt at hilarity**

'Seriously, what the hell is going on with this story?' Niou Masaharu, silver hair in a messy rattail has a slight smirk on his face even as he complains, since he knows that he's the author's favourite character. (Of course, being her favourite character, the author feels the need to force him and his smirk into every situation possible.)

'Why are you complaining?' grumbles a short individual. Far shorter. He has olive-green hair and is dressed in a maid outfit which suits him far too well. 'It's not like _you're_ the one being kicked around all the time. You always get the cool roles. I'm just the _secretary_.'

'Well it suits you, Echizen,' Niou replies with a roll of his eyes. 'Everyone knows that the only reason you're still here is 'cause people want to see you in a dress. Even the author doesn't really like you since she thinks you're like, the whiniest brat ever.'

Echizen Ryoma decides that he's had enough - he's not getting paid very well and really, why should this _minor role_ get to push him around? He's Echizen Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis (or he would have been if he had been in a proper non-AU fanfic)! And Niou Masaharu's just that weird guy from Rikkai who has that gentlemanly glasses-wearing lookalike.

'I quit!'

And for a moment everyone else in the dressing room continues with their own activities. Fuji is just talking to Marui about his latest role - 'really, Marui-kun, I didn't think you had it in you' - while Atobe is bemoaning his predicament to Kabaji - 'why should I have to be the antagonist?' All the others are doing something or another, though Tezuka does spare a glance for Ryoma, but it is disapproving since he knows that Ryoma is just being himself and not living up to his duties as a pillar.

And Ryoma repeats himself, a little louder this time. 'I _quit_!'

This time Niou chooses to react. 'So?' He raises an eyebrow. 'It's not like you really matter any more.'

'I quit - huh?'

'Look at it this way.' Niou pulls out a large chart out of nowhere, which is bright and colourful and particularly sparkly. (For all you who want to know, Akaya made it.) 'See. Look at the Seigaku appearances. They're the blue.'

And Ryoma looks at the blue line on the chart. For some reason, it seems to go steadily downward.

'Now look at the purple line - that's Hyoutei - and the yellow one - that's Rikkai.'

And sure enough, those two lines, purple and yellow, are going the opposite direction that Seigaku is.

'Therein lies the problem,' somebody else added, a bespectacled black-haired man popping up from behind them. Ryoma starts. Niou pretends not to. Inui Sadaharu just pushes up his glasses. 'At the rate this is going, the story will be entirely focussed on Rikkai and Hyoutei simply because the writer here is trying to avoid Seigaku.'

'Why would she do that?' Ryoma demands, crossing his arms in a sulky manner. 'I mean-'

'Because Rikkai and Hyoutei are cooler,' Niou remarks, stretching behind him. 'But that's a problem for me as well, since people aren't reading to read 'bout Rikkai and Hyoutei - people are deluded enough to want to read about _you_ and megane-sensei over there.' Niou nods at Tezuka, whose frown deepens ever so slightly.

'Also, stats say that most people will have stopped reading by now because this just is not funny,' Inui says with a slight sigh as he glances down at his notebook. 'As well, the present tense and the strange characterisation must have deterred quite a few people.'

And because of that, time to stop this awful charade and just try to explain my reasoning.

**--- people can start reading again here ­---**

As shown above, tenipuri has been slipping away from me recently, with characterisation going AWOL and the desire to write it doing so as well. I've never really liked Seishun, which is where the problem lies - I just don't find as much fun writing TezuRyo as I do writing all the bits with Niou in it. *dies* I'm sorry. I plan on putting this on hiatus until I plan out what is going to happen with this story (because I seriously have no idea about what to do with Ryoma at the moment) - either there will be major rewriting with more Seishun happenings and less Rikkai/Hyoutei, or there will be no more because antiTHESIS is kinda dying.

I'd like any feedback that people can give. I've fallen into the trap of not planning out where I wanted to go with this, and what they think could be done for amelioration? Once again, I apologise.

But any feedback at all (anger, resentment, dispassion) would really be helpful, via review or PM.

-awinchan who is really all kinds of sorry, please beat her


End file.
